He's all That
by kchaos85
Summary: When Eret dumps Astrid 6 weeks before prom, compromising her plans for her senior year, Astrid vows to get even and show him that she doesn't need him, resulting in a bet between her and her best friend Ruff. But how can Astrid turn Hiccup into prom king in only a few weeks? And will Astrid find out that Hiccup has more to teach her? Rated M- Mild language/violence/sexy times.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: As the title suggest, this fic was inspired by the movie "She's All That". It won't follow exactly of course, and you might be able to pick up influences from other teen movies while you read. **

**I started this as just kind of a fun little thing to write, but its definitely involved into its own thing. If you looked it over before because it seemed like a cheesy idea, i just ask that you give it a chance, you might be surprised**.** And if you like it, (or I guess even if you don't) Leave me some feedback, I'd love to hear from you. **

Astrid felt her breath catch a little in her throat when she saw him. She knew she would have to face him today, but she still wasn't ready. She wasn't sure how she expected to react, but as she felt the heat crawl up her neck, she realized anger was something she hadn't expected. Anger was fine, though. Anger she could handle.

It had been a typical Friday night date. It ended in his car at the abandoned parking lot that everyone gave the tongue-and-cheek nickname of "The Cum and Go Corral". It was not uncommon for Eret to take her there, and it was not uncommon for him to try to engage in the activities normally expected of a place with such a moniker. Astrid always refused to let it go that far. She didn't know if she was ready for that step. Hell, she wasn't even sure she loved him yet.

But they had been together for almost a year. She had prepared herself for this. She knew that she could only expect him to wait so long, so first she agreed. She would just suck it up and try to get over her apprehension. Things were going fine in the steamed up beamer, or at least they were until the moment of truth thrust itself, quite literally upon her. Something inside her screamed out that she still wasn't ready.

When she'd stopped him, he'd acted like everything was ok, at least until he got her to her door. His words were still running through her mind. _I can't do this anymore, _followed by a very mature_: If you aren't going to put out, I'll find someone who will_, and then ended with a final insult: _Good luck finding anyone as good as me, sweetie, you had your chance._

When Ruffnut nudged her, coming to her locker beside her, Astrid forced her mind to come back to the present. It was just a regular old Monday Morning at Berk High School.

"Can you believe it, Ruff!" Astrid sneered, fists clenched by her sides as she leaned against her locker. "I mean, can you believe that asshole!"

Ruffnut gave a haughty laugh. "Yeah, but he's a hot asshole." Her eyes looked longingly towards the captain of the Football team. Ruffnut was violently pulled out of her lustful gaze by a sharp pain in her shoulder as Astrid punched her hard.

"RUFF! Focus!" Astrid shook her head, gritting her teeth. "He thinks he can break up with me, leaving me just 6 weeks before prom to find another date!"

"Right," Ruff agreed, before adding, "And even if you do, you'll probably still be Prom Queen, and Eret Prom King, and that will be all kinds of awkward."

Astrid's anger was being replaced by the need to get even. "Unless I make sure he's NOT Prom King."

Ruffnut laughed. "What do you mean, Astrid? I mean, asshole or not, Eret's still the most popular boy in school, there is no way he would lose."

Astrid shook her head. "Are you kidding me? I can make any guy at this school just as popular. He's completely replaceable."

Ruff looked longingly again towards Eret, who was talking with his own hoard of friends at the other end of the hall. The group of boys surrounding Eret were all clad in lettermen's jackets, broad shouldered and tall. "I don't know, Astrid," Ruff began dreamily, "Eret seems to have it all. Popular, cute…. and those muscles." Ruff sighed longingly.

Astrid punched her friend in the arm again. "When you get down to it, he's just a guy. Any guy can be popular." Her eyes took on a determined gleam as she glared down the hall at the man who had crushed her only a few days ago. "He just needs the right friends, the right clothes, and the right PR."

"You really think you can make _any_ other guy as popular as Eret?" Ruff paused to take a mischievous glance through the hall to see if anyone was listening and lowered her voice, "Wanna make it interesting?" Ruff wiggled her eyebrows at Astrid with a smirk playing at the corners of her mouth.

"What are your terms?" Astrid smiled wryly, looking Ruffnut straight in the eye and crossing her arms.

"You say any guy can be as popular as Eret, right? So I get to pick the guy, and you have exactly 6 weeks to make him popular enough to be elected Prom King."

"Fine." Astrid crossed her arms. "And when I succeed and I see the look on poor Eret's face as someone else takes his glory, what do I get?" Astrid's intense glare was boring a hole into Ruff's face

Ruffnut stroked her chin thoughtfully. "Oh, you mean other than the smug satisfaction of crushing Eret?" She laughed. "How about 50 bucks?"

"Oh, you are on." Astrid and Ruffnut shook hands.

Astrid squared her shoulders and stood a little straighter. This would be fun, if nothing else. A nice project to take on that would help take her mind off of her current situation.

"Alright, Ruffnut. So who's the lucky guy who is going to end up being the most popular guy in school?"

Ruffnut looked around, pondering her choices. Sure, there were the science geeks, the meatheads, the outsiders, the choices were endless. She placed her hand on her chin thoughtfully as she mulled over the possibilities.

_Thunk!_

Astrid felt something heavy slide into the side of her foot. Both girl's attention snapped down to the ground in time to see several textbooks sliding in their direction and papers flying everywhere. Amid the confusion was a familiar looking boy sprawled ungraciously on the floor. That boy was Hiccup Haddock.

Hiccup had always gone to school with the group, and he'd always been different. He didn't really fit in with any of the different cliques at the school, so he mostly kept to himself. He was most known for his uncanny ability to always screw everything up.

Hiccup muttered apologies to people as they walked by, many of them stepping on his papers or kicking his books out of their way. He quickly tried to gather his things, desperately trying to avoid eye contact with everyone as they passed.

Ruff looked at Astrid and smiled, with a head nod toward the boy. "No, Ruff, really? Hiccup? Anyone but Hiccup!" Astrid's eyes were wide in horror as she spoke.

"A deal's a deal!" Smiled Ruffnut. "I think instead of fighting it, you should get to work. You only have 6 weeks!" Ruff laughed to herself. "This is the easiest fifty bucks I will ever win." She laughed and turned on her heal away from Astrid. "Listen, I gotta get to class, but you have fun!" Ruff chuckled to herself as she walked towards her 3rd period class.

Astrid sighed and looked down at the boy still scrambling to pick up his papers. She gave him the once over with a discerning eye. He was wearing ratty jeans, old torn up converse sneakers, and a black hoodie with a dragon sprawled across it. His hair was too long and hanging in his eyes, curling a little at the ends. It was brown, with just a hint of red when the light hit it just right, and he had a splattering of freckles across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. It was so... juvenile. Plus he was skinny, not at all like Eret. Astrid had to admit, this could definitely be a challenge.

Taking a deep breath, Astrid decided it was now or never. She definitely didn't want to lose a bet to Ruffnut. She knelt down and began to gather the papers at her feet. "Here," she said as sympathetically as she could, getting down on his level while gathering the miscellaneous scraps of paper in her hands.

His eye rose up and met hers, and for a second she could see his cheeks flush red. "oh, uh, h-hi, uh, Astrid. Th-thanks, I guess."

Astrid looked down at the papers in her hands. She realized the papers had drawings on them. Some of them were of dragons, some were in an anime style with characters she'd never seen, but they were all actually very good.

"Hiccup," She said, gazing at the drawings. "I didn't know you could draw, these are amaz…."

"Give me that!" Hiccup snatched the papers out of her hands. "Listen… t-thanks for the help, but I g-gotta go." He stood up suddenly, but she noticed he seemed to favor his right leg a little. He scurried away down the hall, arms wrapped around his papers as though he was guarding them with dear life.

As she watched him scramble to make it to his next class with his head down, she wondered why she'd never noticed before that he was such a good artist. She had been friendly with him in grade school but she doesn't particularly recall him being artistic. They had drifted apart over the years and she had changed a lot. It occurred to Astrid that maybe Hiccup had changed a lot too, and wondered what else she had never noticed about Hiccup Haddock.

"Well, Hiccup Haddock." Astrid muttered out loud to herself. "I hope you are ready, because your life is about to change dramatically, and for the better." Feeling satisfied, Astrid headed to her own class.

000000000000000000000000000000000000

Of all the dumb luck in the world, Hiccup must have the dumbest luck of all.

There he was, sprawled on the floor because his stupid leg always picks the best times to remind him that he will always be different, his silly sketches spread all over the hall, when Astrid Hofferson would suddenly acknowledge his existence again. He'd tried to play it cool, but he knew he must have seemed like a spaz when he snatched some of his drawings right out of her hand. Those were just silly things he sketched when he was bored in class, no one was meant to see them.

What was she doing talking to him anyway? It had been years since they spoke. At one time Hiccup had considered her one of his best friends. Back in grade school, she was one of the only people who talked to him, and even as she began to get popular, she never joined in when the others made fun of him. He'd always thought maybe she was different, even though she ignored him.

She'd also complimented his silly sketches, but surely she was being sarcastic. Astrid Hofferson would never care about him or his drawings. He repeated this to himself as he hurried to class. He'd gotten good at keeping to himself and not letting the other kids get to him, so he would not let himself start caring again about Astrid. Maybe at one time he'd had a crush on her, but that was a long time ago. For all Hiccup knew, this was an isolated incident.

At lunch that day, Hiccup was sitting at his table alone, minding his own business, when suddenly he saw a flash of blonde beside him. She cleared her throat to get his attention.

"A-Astrid? What, I mean... what're you…"

"Hey, Hiccup." Astrid stopped him mid question. She adjusted her braid subconsciously and swept her bangs out of her eyes. "Is this seat taken?"

Hiccup's eyes grew wide with surprise at first, and then he caught himself, his eyes squinting in suspicion. He looked at her for a long minute, before very slowly and cautiously saying, "Sure….?"

Astrid pulled out the chair next to him and gracefully plopped down, smiling. "Awesome, thanks!" She turned and started to toss her salad with her fork, stirring it around while settling in and crossing her legs. "So, Hiccup, what's new?"

Something snapped a little inside him. _What's new? What's new!_ Maybe if she hadn't ignored him for the last several years, she would know what's new. A lot had happened in his life since she started ignoring him completely in junior high. Things that no one else in this school could even fathom.

He really could have used a friend back then. Like back in junior high when his mom disappeared, or sophomore year when he had his accident, but instead he was left more alone than ever. The harder he tried to make friends with his peers, the worse off he ended up. He would always end up humiliated anytime he tried. So he had turned his heart into stone, shutting everyone out and just keeping to himself. Sure, maybe it was lonely, but he had Fishlegs at least, and this way he couldn't get hurt by his peers.

"Since when?" Hiccup answered, sitting back in his chair, subconsciously trying to put more physical space between them. "Since the last time you said hi to me, 2 years ago?" He set down his phone and crossed his arms at his chest. "Or maybe you mean since Junior high, when we were in history class together?" Hiccup took a deep breath, gathering courage to say his next words, "Or, maybe since we were actually friends in grade school before you started ignoring me? What's happened since then? I gotta be honest, Astrid, I don't know that a 30 minute lunch period is enough time to catch you up." Hiccup exhaled but a smirk played at the corner of his lips.

Astrid visibly recoiled from his statement. She looked down at her fork like she didn't know what to say.

"Look, Hiccup…" she began.

"No, you look, Astrid, I don't know why you are suddenly talking to me again, but I have no idea what you think you can gain from me. I'm not going to help your popularity status. I can't help you study. I'm a nobody."

"I don't need anything from you, Hiccup." She said quietly. "I just needed someplace to sit." She gestured towards her normal table of friends, which now included Eret.

Hiccup glanced over in time to see Eret making grand gestures with his hands while speaking to the table, with everyone eating his every word. He looked back at her. "So?"

"So? What do you mean? Hadn't you heard that Eret broke up with me?"

"No." Hiccup said plainly. "I don't make it my business to know gossip."

So maybe he had snapped at her a little. At first, the hurt look on her face gave him a smug satisfaction. _Good!_ He thought to himself. _Maybe now she understands how they have always made me feel._ But as soon as the fleeting feeling of satisfaction washed over him, another feeling began to replace it. The sad expression on Astrid's face made his chest tighten a little.

Maybe she deserved it, but he didn't like being the person that caused it. She began to say something but he didn't trust himself to continue this conversation without saying more hurtful things. If he did that, he would be just as bad as _them._ So he excused himself abruptly, making an excuse about not being hungry, and went to his locker to get his books for the next class.

Hiccup sighed to himself and reminded himself yet again that it was his last semester. Soon he would be off to college and he can reinvent himself. He'll no longer be Hiccup the Useless, Hiccup the walking fishbone, or Hiccup the screw up. He would be in school among other art majors where he would fit right in. He just had to get through these last few months of school under the radar.

He'd spent the last 4 years learning how to be invisible, how to fade into the background, and now that he was in the home stretch, so close to getting through high school mostly unscathed, the most popular girl in school seemed to be taking him on as some kind of project. _Why me?_ Hiccup thought to himself in despair. Things could never be easy.

He hoped that this was just a weird day and that he could go back to being invisible, but Astrid continued to sit with him at lunch every day. On Tuesday he'd basically just ignored her. She talked to him anyway and he only responded when it was absolutely required, and even then it was just the minimum response. On Wednesday when she sat with him, he asked her flat out what she was doing. She'd given him some excuse about still not wanting to sit with Eret, and trying to branch out her social circles, but Hiccup wasn't buying it. He was convinced that the minute he opened up to her, someone would jump out from under a table and reveal it all as a prank.

Wednesday after school Fishlegs came over for dinner, and the pair decided to work a little on their comic books afterwards.

Fishlegs had brought his laptop and drawing pad, and the two friends sat in Hiccup's room exchanging ideas and talking about their plans for comic-con this year.

"So what is the deal with Astrid?" Fishlegs finally asked, after all other topics had practically been exhausted.

"Aw man, Fishlegs, I don't want to talk about Astrid." Hiccup could feel his jaw set as he tried to concentrate on the shading on one of his comic panels.

"I mean, come on, Hiccup, suddenly the most popular girl in school starts talking to you, and you aren't even a little bit curious?" Fishlegs had set his drawing pad down, focusing his attention on his friend.

"No." Hiccup said flatly, avoiding eye contact with Fishlegs.

"Hiccup, it's not every day that your former dream girl tries to be your friend. I think you should talk to her. I mean, she's sat with you every day this week so far."

"Don't you think it's a little suspicious?" Hiccup asked, finally putting down his own pen. "I mean, come on, Fishlegs, she obviously has some kind of ulterior motive here."

Fishlegs tapped his chin thoughtfully for a moment. "You know, you may be right, but what an opportunity. Think of it like a science experiment. Maybe you become friends with her, then you can observe her and her friends. You could come back to me and I could record the data. It would be like a manual for popular kids. A study in anthropology, if you will."

Hiccup could see the scientific curiosity of his friend getting the best of him. "Fishlegs, we aren't talking about experimenting with fish or putting cats in boxes here, we are talking about real people."

"Look, Hiccup, I know it's kind of hard for you, since Astrid hurt you and all, but that was a long time ago, and it's our senior year! Do you really want to look back on this moment in 10 years and regret that you didn't at least find out why?"

"No, Fishlegs." Hiccup picked his pen back up and went back to focusing on his comic. "That is my final answer. Would you just drop it?"

Fishlegs shook his head but respected his friend's wishes. He went back to working on his own comic-con project, and the two resumed their normal conversations.


	2. Chapter 2

"So how's it going with loverboy!" Ruff teased as she bumped into Astrid in the lunch line, nudging her friend forward. Astrid steadied herself and instinctively fixed her braid across her shoulder.

Blowing her bangs from her eyes, she squinted around the cafeteria searching for that familiar face. "Hey, it's still early. I'm working on it. " She spotted Hiccup sitting by himself at the same table in the corner of the cafeteria. He was picking at his food while looking intently at his phone.

"Right, except that he's ignored you for the past 3 days at lunch." Ruffnut shook her head. "What a dork."

The girls went through the lunch line as they did every day. Ruff kept trying to fill Astrid in on all the latest gossip of the day, even though she knew well and good that Astrid was not interested. She had her own things going on. Her mind kept dragging her thoughts back to the essay that she has due in English next week, the calculus test 3 weeks from now, and the track meet she has this Saturday.

Along with that, she also has to decide where to go to college. She'd applied to every Ivy League school that had any kind of good pre-med program, along with a few other choice options, and had been accepted to nearly all of them. It was completely overwhelming. She tried hard to push college thoughts into the deep recesses of her mind for now. It was time to focus on today, this week, this hour.

And the most pressing thing on Astrid's mind right now is getting even with Eret. His betrayal still stung. She had always thought they had respected each other. They had the same friends and everyone looked up to them. She always thought they were equals, but thinking back to the night when he had so callously ended their relationship, it reminded her that Eret saw her as just a girl, and girls were only good to him for one thing. The memory made a shudder go through her spine. The more she let it fester, the more she hated Eret, and the more she steadied her resolve in her newest endeavor.

They made it through the lunch line and Ruff was still babbling. She paid the cashier for her lunch and scanned the cafeteria again, eyes resting back to the corner where Hiccup sat. She could not give up yet. She would get Hiccup to talk to her, she had to. There was a lot riding on this bet. It was more than just money, it was a matter of pride. "See ya later, Ruff." She departed from her friend to continue her mission.

Astrid held up her head as she began the walk to the far corner of the cafeteria. Their school was modern, having been built within the last decade. The cafeteria was all white, with small windows lining the wall. The tables were round and could hold up to 8 people, which only highlighted the fact that the lanky boy was sitting by himself, the table practically swallowing him. The familiar smells of lunch meat and boiled vegetables filled her nose as she walked, which made her wince. She glanced at her usual grilled chicken salad and was again grateful that the school offered salads in addition to the awful slop that they served.

She was intensely aware of several pairs of eyes watching her as she walked. No doubt the rumors of her and Eret's breakup were making their way around. People were watching her to see how she would react. Should they feel sorry for her? Pity her? Maybe they would feel some kind of morbid sense of gratification, seeing one of the most popular girls in school get dumped. Either way, Astrid wouldn't give them any satisfaction that anything was amiss. She held her head a little higher and squared her shoulders, walking with complete purpose. Sometimes being popular and having everyone know her business made her wonder if it was worth it. She always had to watch every move she made. She almost envied Hiccup that he had been able to fly under the radar for so long. When was the last time she had heard any kind of gossip about the Haddock boy? Well, like it or not, that was about to change for him. But he'd have to be happier than he is now, right? It must be lonely not having any friends.

It had been the most frustrating week of Astrid's life so far, and it was only Thursday. Monday he had left abruptly, and Tuesday and Wednesday he had stayed at the table at least, but would barely look at her. Astrid couldn't stand that she was failing. She was Astrid Hofferson for Pete's sake. She was Valedictorian of their class, Student Council President, and star athlete. She was used to excelling at everything.

She also wouldn't be lying if she said it wasn't driving her at least a little bit crazy that Hiccup didn't like her. In fact, he seemed to hate her by the way he would glare at her sometimes while she talked. She didn't like that feeling. She wished she didn't care so much, but everyone cares what people think, right? Even if it's just a dork like Hiccup.

Hiccup only shook his head when she sat down today. "Happy Thursday, Hiccup!" She continued to try to remain as casual and natural sounding as possible, even though he looked at her like she had 3 heads.

"Isn't there anywhere else you can sit?" Hiccup asked, putting down his phone but keeping his focus down on his plate.

"What, and actually sit with people who like me? Where is the challenge in that?"

Hiccup relaxed a little. "Yeah, like you could find any." He was trying to hide it, but a small smile was playing at his lips.

Astrid considered this a small victory. She'd almost gotten him to smile. She giggled a little bit and gave him a playful punch in the arm.

Hiccup's hand immediately grasped his arm where she had just punched him. "Hey!" he rubbed the spot, wincing, "What was that for?"

"Making me laugh." She responded matter of factly, beginning to chop up her salad.

Hiccup shook his head. "Man, if this is how you treat people are trying to be friends with, I'd hate to be your enemy." Hiccup picked up his phone again and began scrolling through apps.

The two sat in silence eating their food, as had become somewhat normal.

A few awkward minutes later, Hiccup excused himself early from lunch again, mumbling something about having things to do for class. Astrid sat at the empty table by herself for a moment, eating the last of her salad. She felt weird sitting there by herself, and for a moment thought about rejoining her normal table for the rest of the lunch period.

She glanced back to her familiar table, but as she watched, she couldn't help but notice Ruff gazing at Eret with her puppy dog eyes. Eret was likely telling another story boasting of his football skills, she bet she could almost tell his stories word for word right alongside him if she wanted to since she'd heard them all so many times.

Ruff was leaning in towards him while he talked, and she noticed that she was using every excuse to touch him. She watched Ruff throw her head back and laugh at one of Eret's jokes while flirtatiously placing her hand on his shoulder. Astrid could feel the heat of anger brewing inside her again. Ruff was supposed to be her best friend, and here she is shamelessly flirting with her ex, the ex that had just dumped her less than a week ago. This realization of betrayal hit Astrid hard. She could actually feel some tears welling up behind her eyes. She swore to herself as her fists tightened at her side. She had to get out of here. She got up from the table and began to head for the gym. Her next hour was PE anyway, so she would get a head start in the weight room.

Astrid made her way to the gym in record time, managing to push down the bubbling emotions as she walked. Once she was changed into her gym clothes, she found her old familiar friend; the punching bag. She began to rhythmically hit it, softly at first, but then harder and harder as the hurt from the last week began to build back up inside her. She imagined Eret's smug face as he broke up with her. _Whack!_ She pictured Ruff's hand placed flirtatiously on his shoulder. _Whack! _Before she knew it, she was kicking and punching so hard that her muscles began to ache and her face was hot with exertion. The tears were still welling in her eyes, but the more she felt like she was going to cry, the harder she hit.

As she let out her last few swings, her thoughts landed once again on Hiccup and just how difficult he was being about all this. Ruff just had to choose the one boy in school that wouldn't fall all over himself to be her friend. She knew they had a past which of course made things awkward, but she had swallowed her pride and talked to him. Why couldn't he let go of the past as well? She knew they had drifted apart, but it's not like she ever did anything directly to hurt Hiccup, did she? She gave one last punch and took a deep breath. She would just have to up her game somehow.

Astrid was beginning to feel more alone than ever. She was still having a hard time spending time with her normal group of friends because of the ever presence of Eret. She should have known Ruff would have a hard time hiding her crush now that they were apart, but seeing her flirt so shamelessly had left a bitter taste in Astrid's mouth. She knew she would have to talk to her best friend about this or else it would drive them apart as well. Ruff felt like her only ally at this juncture in her life, so she didn't want this to come between them.

She was getting down to do or die time. As of this Saturday, she will only have 5 weeks left until prom. That means she has 5 weeks to get Hiccup to become her friend, and then make all her friends like him, also. Once her friends liked him, the rest of the school would follow. She'd like to think that just being with her would be enough, but she might need to make some changes.

First of all, she needed to work on his confidence. He still won't look anyone in the eye when he talks to them. Another thing that would help would be to change up his wardrobe, but that part could be fun. Of course, all of this is useless if he doesn't trust her. No, she decided if she can't get him to start talking to her soon, by the end of the week at least, she wouldn't have enough time. She needed to do something drastic, but she just didn't know what. She decided she would wait for him after school and try again. Everyone had a weakness, she just had to find Hiccup's before it was too late.


	3. Chapter 3

The smell of diesel from the line of school buses in front of the school filled the air around Astrid as she stood waiting just outside the school's entrance. The air was cool, maybe a touch on the chilly side. She wrapped her sweater around herself a little tighter, hugging her arms in close to shield herself.

In a moment of introspection, she wondered if she was shielding herself from the chill, or if there was some other demon she was trying to protect herself from. She was searching for Hiccup, unsure of what she was going to do yet. It just seemed like so many aspects of her life were on the verge of falling apart, so she needed to succeed at something.

Hiccup's words had been ringing through her ears all day. She had racked her brain torturously since lunch, trying to think back to elementary school and junior high, trying to think of anything she may have done or said to Hiccup to make him dislike her so much. I mean, sure, they had drifted apart, but that happens. It's no reason to hate someone. She was a natural at making friends and always strived to do her best at everything, which naturally drew her to the popular crowd. Hiccup had always been different and a little awkward. No, when it came down to it, they were just… different. She just never realized Hiccup would be holding onto some kind of grudge just for that. She thought there must be more to this.

It was then she spotted Ruffnut making her way towards her. Astrid cringed slightly, the image of her looking so lustfully at Eret; touching his shoulder, laughing at his jokes. It wasn't right. It made her chest squeeze. It wasn't that Astrid wanted Eret back, it was that Eret had dumped her so painfully that she didn't understand why Ruff would want anything to do with him. She is supposed to be on her side, right?

"Hey Astrid!" Ruff bumped her shoulder with hers and smiled. "Are you going to Snotlout's party tomorrow night?

Astrid took a deep breath. Going to a party would mean having to share some of her personal space with Eret, and she didn't know if she was ready. "I don't know." Astrid answered truthfully, but avoided eye contact, instead keeping her watch on the door.

"You know, not that I want to help you with our bet, but bringing Hiccup to that party could be a good idea." Ruff pointed out. "If he shows up with you on his arm, it could raise his popularity enough to at least be noticed."

Ruff was right of course, but the idea of convincing Hiccup to even talk to her, much less drag him to a party, seemed completely inconceivable at the moment. "Yeah, you are probably right." Her voice was a little flatter than she intended. She didn't want Ruffnut to think anything was wrong.

Unfortunately, Ruffnut knew her friend way too well. She eyed Astrid critically, with one eyebrow raised. "Astrid? Is something… wrong?" Her hand reached for Astrid's shoulder. Astrid flinched out of the way so that Ruff's hand was left to hang awkwardly mid-air.

"No, its… everything is fine." It came out a little more hostile than she had intended, so she tried to give her a weak smile to soften her words.

Ruff crossed her arms in front of her chest and shifted her weight to rest on one hip. "Astrid, seriously, I'm your best friend. You think I can't tell when something is wrong? Why don't you just tell me because I'll keep bugging you until you do."

Astrid knew she wasn't bluffing. Defeated once again today, she sighed and brought her hands up to hide her face. "It's stupid, really." Ruff eyed her with her best 'tell me now or die' look. Astrid sighed again. "Today, at lunch, you looked awfully comfortable talking with Eret. I thought you were on my side."

Ruff looked hurt. "Of course I'm on your side!" She shook her head. "I didn't realize I was being flirty, sorry." Now it was Ruff who looked down at the ground, watching her shoe as she kicked around a rock laying on the concrete. "You know I think Eret is a total babe, I just can't help myself around him sometimes, especially now that you aren't dating anymore…." Her voice trailed off.

Astrid sighed again. "I know, it's just… he's such a jerk, you know?" This time Astrid reached for her friend's shoulder, but Ruff didn't flinch as Astrid's hand rested on her comfortingly. "You can do better, that's all I'm saying. I mean, doesn't Snotlout have a crush on you?"

"Heh, yeah." Ruff laughed as she lifted her face to resume eye contact with Astrid. "But come on, it's _Snotlout!" _She snorted. "He's so cocky and full of himself…."

"…and Eret _isn't_?" Astrid laughed, breaking the tension between the two friends.

Ruffnut laughed along, visibly relaxing. "I guess you are right. You'll be there though, on Friday?"

Astrid sighed again. "I don't know, I have a track meet on Saturday."

Ruff shook her head. "Jeez, Astrid. You know, you don't always have to be perfect."

At that moment Astrid spotted Hiccup walking out the door. He had a tan messenger bag draped across his shoulders and was running his fingers through his shaggy hair. A bigger boy met him at the door and they began talking. What was that guy's name again? Astrid tried to think back to classes she had with him before it came to her… Fishlegs.

"Hey, Ruff, I gotta go, ok? But I'm glad we talked." She squeezed her friend's shoulder while moving to walk towards Hiccup.

"Me too, Astrid. See you later, and good luck!" Ruffnut winked at Astrid as she walked toward Hiccup and Fishlegs.

When she made it to Hiccup and Fishlegs, the two were involved in a really deep discussion.

"No, Hiccup, you are totally wrong. I think that in a battle between Batman and Superman, Superman would totally win. I mean, superman has super powers!"

"Oh Fishlegs, It's so typical to go brawn over brain. I personally think Batman has the brain of the two, he'd find a way to win."

Were they really talking about superheroes? Astrid had to keep herself from holding her head in her hands with exasperation. Instead she straightened her shoulders and cleared her throat. "Hey guys, what're we talking about?" She stepped within their circle, physically placing herself in the conversation.

The look of surprise on Fishlegs face was priceless. His mouth hung open and his eyes widened. He stammered a hello which caused his voice to crack just slightly.

Hiccup on the other hand, was a different story. "You know, stalking is illegal in all 50 states, Astrid." His face showed a hint of frustration, and his brows lowered. She had seen a twinkle in his eye for a split second while he was talking about superheroes, but the minute he saw her, it disappeared. His green eyes seemed to darken, and the intensity seemed to pierce through to her soul.

Astrid cleared her throat again, drawing herself a little straighter. "Oh come on, Hiccup. I'm just making an effort to make some more friends. You know, it is our senior year. Kind of like… a New Year's resolution, except it's more like, Last Semester of High School resolution." She looked back and forth from Fishlegs to Hiccup. Fishlegs still had the wide eyes of fascinated disbelief, while Hiccup seemed more suspicious. "What, you guys don't want to be my friend?" She put on her best sad face, pushing out her bottom lip and batting her eye lashes. Hiccup remained unfazed by her attempts, on the other hand, Fishlegs seemed to eat it right out of her hand.

Hiccup, don't be rude!" Fishlegs muttered to his friend. The poor guy still looked terrified, but it seemed like he might be on Astrid's side here. That is just what she needed, an ally.

"Rude? Really, Legs!" Hiccup shook his head and turned back to Astrid. "If you are doing some kind of like, charity… loser outreach program or something, I'm not interested." He turned on his heal and began to walk away, shaking his head and muttering about how everyone must be going crazy this week. Astrid sighed and deflated a little bit as she watched him go.

Once he was out of earshot, Fishlegs turned to her, eyes still wide. "Astrid, I don't know exactly what you are trying to do, but if you really want to become friends with Hiccup, then maybe you should try to take an interest in things he likes."

"That's a great suggestion… Fishlegs, right?" He nodded emphatically to confirm. "Like what? What does Hiccup like?"

"Well, Astrid, Hiccup and I like playing videogames. Mostly like, first person shooters, like Halo and Call of Duty." Talking about his interest made Fishlegs straighten and take on an air of confidence. He looked around as though seeing if anyone was around to see that he was actually talking to Astrid Hofferson. "We also like comic books, anime…."

"Wait, isn't that the same thing, comic books and anime?" Astrid interjected. Fishlegs shook his head knowingly.

"No no no! Astrid, please! You've got that all wrong." He laughed at her ignorance, but she shot him an annoyed glanced and he covered his laugh with a fake cough. "Uh… sorry, uh- Astrid." He looked down at his shoes.

"Anything else?" Astrid asked, trying to distract him from feeling embarrassed.

"Well, I mean, lots of things, Astrid." He looked back up at her and his eyes got brighter. "We're actually having a Halo night tonight at my house, if you want to come."

Astrid thought to herself for a moment. Any other time, any other situation, this would be a totally preposterous invitation. Astrid Hofferson? Going to a video game party with a couple of loser guys? This could have seemed like a bad situation, but there was something about the way Fishlegs eyes lit up and his child-like grin that made her think it may not be too bad. "What time?" _Desperate measures_, she thought to herself.

"Seven o'clock. We're going to order a pizza too. Seriously, it would be fun to have someone else playing."

"Ok, seven it is." She said resolutely. She took out her phone and unlocked it, pulling up a new text. "What is your number?"

"m-my number?"

"Yeah, I'm going to text you so you have my number, then you can text me your address."

Fishlegs nervously gave her his number as he pulled out his own phone. Within a few seconds his phone chimed.

"Alright Fishlegs, I'll see you later." Astrid patted him on the shoulder and leaned in. "And thanks, for helping me."

Fishlegs looked at her hand and then back to her. "I still don't know exactly what I'm helping you with, but Astrid, whatever you do… please don't hurt my friend."

Astrid was taken back. She removed her hand from Fishlegs shoulder and placed it on her chest. "Fishlegs, I promise you, I don't intend to hurt Hiccup."

Fishlegs nodded his goodbye and headed to his car. Astrid watched him for a moment before heading in the opposite direction to her car. Tonight will be very interesting. At least now she has some leverage.

When Astrid got home, the first thing she did was pull out her laptop. She sat cross-legged on her bed as she waited for her desktop to load. She pulled up Google and typed in "Halo" and immediately her search page was covered in links. There were video walk-throughs, articles, cheats, just about anything she might need. She rubbed her palms together and settled in to read everything she could. She checked the time on her phone and noticed she had a text from Fishlegs. As promised, he had texted her his address. She was surprised to see it was only a few blocks away. Perfect, Astrid thought to herself. That way she has more time to prepare. It was 5:00, so she had almost 2 hours.

When 6:30 rolled around, she felt confident that she at least knew enough about the game to at least not embarrass herself. She stretched her arms over her head and let out a small yawn. Her eyes were a little tired from reading and watching videos. She looked down at her clothes and wondered what an appropriate video game night outfit would be. She was wearing her favorite jeans, a red tank, and her tan sweater jacket. It was still a little chilly so she figured she'd also throw on her tan Uggs. She checked her reflection in the mirror, wondering if she should freshen up her makeup or redo her braid. _What am I thinking? _Astrid thought to herself. _I'm just going to a guy's house to play videogames, of all things_. She laughed at herself, bringing an image in her mind of what she figured the typical guys looked like as they played. They probably wore sweatpants with hoodies, backwards caps hiding greasy hair, and a mess of Cheetos crumbs stuck in their stubble. No, she looked fine.

Since Fishleg's house was only a few blocks away, she decided to just walk. She let her parents know she was leaving and headed down her front steps, hugging herself a little as she braced for the chill. Maybe she should have put on a scarf, too? Oh well, it was too late now.

She arrived at Fishleg's house at exactly seven o'clock. His mother had answered the door, looking surprised.

"Good evening, Mrs. Ingerman." Astrid smiled at the woman. Like her son, she was heavyset, but not quite as tall. She had a kind, round face, with blond hair pulled back into a conservative bun. Her cheeks were slightly flushed as well. "I'm here for Halo night? With the boys?"

"Oh my!" Mrs. Ingerman flushed. "Fish told me a girl was coming over, but he didn't tell me such a pretty girl was coming!" Mrs. Ingerman smiled kindly at Astrid while stepping aside from the door to allow her in.

"Oh, well, thank you, Mrs. Ingerman. Where are the boys?"

"They are down in the basement, you know, the man cave." She winked at Astrid. "I'll show you to the basement door, dear."

"Thank you, ma'am." Mrs. Ingerman led Astrid towards the back of the house. The house itself was quaint but immaculate. Mrs. Ingerman obviously prided herself on keeping her house neat and in order. The furnishings and interior design were traditional, mostly white walls, some with wallpaper borders. She led Astrid into the kitchen which was a cute country style kitchen with white cabinets and yellow tile. There were pictures of chickens hung around the room holding spoons and forks and wearing aprons. It was charming, actually. The door to the basement was there next to the pantry.

Mrs. Ingerman opened the door. "Fishlegs! You have company!"

"W-what?" She could hear Hiccup's voice

"Send her down, mom!" She heard from Fishlegs at the same time. As she made her way down the stairs, she could hear Hiccup and Fishlegs arguing with hushed voices. She didn't know what she expected down in the basement. Hearing Mrs. Ingerman describe it as a "man cave" made her think of a dank, dark, and smelly unfinished basement. Instead, the basement was finished, with white lovely walls and a comfortable looking greyish blue carpet.

The set up they had was impressive too. There was a massive sectional couch facing a huge flat screen TV. There was a cabinet under the TV filled with every imaginable videogame counsel. She spotted an x-box, a PlayStation, a Wii, and she even saw some older models stashed in there.

"Wow, Fishlegs, I'm impressed." Astrid crossed her arms as she looked around the basement in approval. "I'm excited for my first Halo night!" _Take an interest in things he likes_.

Hiccup wouldn't look at her and continued to stare down at his controller. "Fishlegs, I'm going to kill you." He muttered under his breath. She saw Fishlegs visibly gulp.

"Hi Astrid! I'm so glad you could make it!" Fishlegs voice cracked a little in nervous excitement.

Astrid took a seat next to Hiccup on the couch and Fishlegs leaned over Hiccup to hand her a controller. "Have you ever even played a video game before?" Hiccup asked flatly, still refusing to look up from his controller.

"Well, I used to, when I was younger." Astrid said truthfully, thinking back to her super Mario days. "And you know, my younger brother has an x-box, so I'm not a complete stranger to the concept."

"Great…" Hiccup muttered sarcastically. Fishlegs bumped Hiccup's shoulder.

"Be nice!" Fishlegs hissed. "Aren't you at least excited that we have a 3rd player?"

"Not if she's just going to weigh us down!" Hiccup sneered.

"Well, we'll see about that!" Astrid laughed. Fishlegs turned on the game and went through the prompts. It took a few minutes for everyone to set up their characters.

Once the action started, Astrid picked up on the game quickly. She always had been a quick learner, and it definitely helped that she had watched some walk-throughs. It wasn't exactly the same, but she found herself absorbed in the game. Between breaks in the action, Astrid had a chance to look around the basement with a little more of a discerning eye. She saw posters from movies and TV shows she'd never heard of. She saw posters that advertised they were for Full Metal Alchemist, Bleach, and Naruto, obviously anime. She also noticed a Lord of the Rings movie poster, and noticed several figurines stacked on random shelves which appeared to be from Star Trek and Star Wars. She also saw several comic books stacked neatly on a bookshelf. Yep, she was definitely in nerd territory. She even managed to notice a bookshelf on the far wall that seemed to be home to several board games.

About halfway through the night when they'd reached a save point in the game, Mrs. Ingerman brought down a pizza that was just delivered. "Break time!" Announced Fishlegs as he eagerly took the pizza with paper plates stacked on top from his mom. "Thanks, mom!" Mrs. Ingerman ruffled Fishleg's hair affectionately before heading back up the stairs. He plopped the pizza in front of them on the coffee table. "Dig in!"

Astrid hungrily grabbed a plate and a hot slice of pizza. All this gaming was making her hungry.

"I have to say, Astrid," Fishlegs began, "I'm quite impressed with your Halo Skills." He nudged Hiccup, "Don't you agree, Hiccup?"

Hiccup cleared his throat and looked up at Astrid for the first time. "Yeah, she's ok I guess."

"OK? Hiccup, she saved our asses like, a dozen times!" Fishlegs laughed and then looked back at Astrid. "Again, I'm impressed."

Astrid laughed. "What, you think because I'm a girl I can't play videogames?"

"Not because you're a girl." Hiccup interjected, but a smile was starting to play at the ends of his mouth. "Because you're Astrid Hofferson. Class President, All-Star Track Athlete, Valedictorian..." His voice trailed a little. "Typically girls like you aren't into nerd stuff."

Astrid laughed, glad he was finally starting to talk to her. "Nerd stuff, huh?" without thinking she flirtatiously nudged his shoulder with her hand. "If this is nerd stuff, then I guess I'm a nerd. Honestly, I'm having a blast." She was surprised to realize she actually meant it a little bit. She wasn't really sure what she thought tonight was going to be like, but when she wasn't worried about her gaming skills, she did feel somewhat relaxed. It was like, she didn't feel like she had to put on airs around them to try to impress them. The realization perplexed her. Did she act differently around her other friends?

After the pizza was eaten, they went back to the game. Fishlegs suggested they switch up the game from playing another online team to playing against each other. Somehow taking each other out in the game was breaking the tension in the room. Hiccup seemed like he was opening up a little and started doing some trash talking. "Oh…. And Astrid was PWNED by Hiccup, and the crowd goes wild!" Hiccup teased as he took out Astrid's avatar.

"Oh yeah? Do you think you can get rid of me that easily, Haddock?" She went through her inventory to find the plasma grenade she'd been hoarding since near the beginning of the game. Releasing it, she sent both Fishlegs and Hiccup up in flames. "Oh yeah, did I just make you my bitch, because you were just OWNED by a girl, my friend!"

The rest of the evening carried on in this same vein. The trash talk seemed to come naturally to Astrid, and she was loving every minute of it. She was dishing it out, and she was taking it from the boys. By the end of the evening she was actually glad she had come.

000000000000000000000000000000

Hiccup was amazed. Well, maybe amazed wasn't the right word. Astonished? Bemused? In total and utter shock? Well, whatever he felt, when he let himself let go of his anger, he had to admit, he didn't mind hanging out with Astrid.

Hiccup wasn't stupid. He still knew something about Astrid's sudden interest in him wasn't right, but Fishlegs' words had been running through his head since last night. _Aren't you just a little bit curious?_

So maybe he would play along. Maybe a little. He felt like he needed to see what her angle might be, if there was one. Plus, Fishlegs would be tickled pink if he actually came back with information. Fishlegs loved to collect and analyze data, it's how Hiccup knew he would do great in any science program

"Well, guys, it's been real, but I don't want to make you girls cry anymore, so I guess I better head home." Astrid laughed and stretched her arms above her head, which caused her shirt to ride up just ever so slightly so her belly button showed. Hiccup tried not to notice, but after all, he was still a guy.

"Did you drive here?" Fishlegs asked Astrid casually.

"No, I walked."

"Walked? How far away do you live?" Fishlegs asked, sounding a bit worried.

"Oh, no worries, I'm only a few blocks away." She brushed off the comment as she continued to pull her boots back on.

Fishlegs nudged Hiccup's shoulder and gestured to Astrid with a look that said he was concerned.

"Uh- do you want someone to walk you home?" Hiccup asked, wincing a little even as he said it, Fishlegs glare moving him to stand up from the couch.

"It's fine, really. I'm not just some helpless girl, you know. I mean, I can kick your asses." She stuck her tongue out playfully at the boys.

Fishlegs pushed against Hiccup again, almost causing him to fall over. Why does Fishlegs have to be so adamant!

"Seriously, uh- Astrid. It's dark. It would make me feel better."

Astrid sighed, defeated once again. "Fine. Let's go!"

They walked to Astrid's house in silence. Hiccup walked just about a pace behind her, not being able to quite keep up with her long confident strides with the shuffles of his feet. The moonlight was bouncing off her blonde hair, giving it an almost silvery glow, making her look like some kind of mistress of the night. He might have his issues with Astrid, but that wouldn't stop him from thinking she was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. That had never really changed.

When they reached her house, she turned to face Hiccup, He was standing with his hands in his pockets, looking down at his feet. He reached one hand up to rub the back of his neck nervously.

"Hiccup, thanks for letting me play, I had a lot of fun." She tried to lean her head down to look into his eyes, causing him to look up at her to meet her gaze.

"Yeah, it was, uh, a lot of fun." He stammered. He winced and his mouth formed a hard line. "Listen, Astrid, I'm sorry I was kind of a jerk, but I mean, you understand, right?"

"Understand what?" she looked at him perplexed.

"I mean, it's not every day the most popular girl in school suddenly wants to be your friend. I still don't really know what's going on…"

"I told you, Hiccup." She interrupted, "I'm just trying to make some new friends, expand my horizons, you know."

"yeah…" he said thoughtfully, looking nervously back to the ground.

"Hey, I have an idea." Astrid's eyes lit up as she waited for Hiccup to respond.

Hiccup looked up at her and cocked his head to the side, intrigued.

"Snotlout is having a party at his house tomorrow. Do you wanna come with me?"

"What, me? Come to a party at Snotlout's house?" Hiccup snorted. "Really? Like I'd ever be caught dead there."

She gave him a sad face, pushing out her lower lip and making sad eyes. "Please, it could be fun!" She paused before continuing, "I didn't know if I would like playing videogames, but I'm glad I tried it, because it was a lot of fun. Maybe you'd have fun at a party if you just gave it a chance."

Hiccup looked to the side, nodding his head while he thought it through. If he went to this party, he could at least make some initial observations for Fish, which he would love. _Ten years from now you may regret the things you didn't do_. She said please again, and he sighed. "Fine, sure. What time."

Astrid squealed and grabbed him for a hug. "Oh, this is going to be so much fun! The party starts at 8, but I'll come over early and help you get dressed!" Astrid pulled away from the hug, looking at him expectantly.

"Help me get dressed? What're you…"

She pointed to his ratty jeans and dragon hoodie. "Well, I mean, it's a party, most of the guys dress a little different… I just don't want you to stick out."

"What? What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Hiccup recoiled a little, looking down at his clothes.

Astrid gestured up and down shaking her head.

"What? Wait, you just gestured to ALL of me?"

Astrid giggled and shrugged. "It's no big deal, Hiccup. Do you own any button down shirts?"

"Do I what? Astrid, what is going on?"

"Yes or no, Hiccup." Astrid crossed her arms and smiled teasingly at Hiccup.

Hiccup sighed. "No."

"Alright, no big deal. Here's what we'll do. After school, I'm taking you shopping."

"Shopping? Astrid, what the…"

"No arguments, we're going." She placed her hands on her hips. "Do you trust me?"

Hiccup looked at Astrid hard. Trust her? He had no reason to trust her. "What, I mean… why should I? What are you trying to do, Astrid? Give me a makeover?"

"Maybe, do you have a problem with that?" Astrid teased.

He didn't really know how to respond to that. "Maybe?"

"Look, Hiccup, just trust me, ok?" She put out her hand to in front of her, "Deal?"

Hiccup looked at her sideways. He winced, thinking he would most likely regret this moment, but he put his hand out to meet hers. "I still don't understand why you're taking this sudden interest in me, but I'm kind of interested to see where you are going with this. Deal."

The electricity in their handshake was hard to ignore.

As Hiccup walked back to his car at Fishlegs' house, he pulled out his phone.

H: Ok Fish, you get your wish. I'm going to a party tomorrow night.

F: WHAT! OMG yes! Hiccup, come back over, we have a lot to talk about.


	4. Chapter 4

Astrid awoke to the sound of her alarm. Sleepily, she reached over to her nightstand, hitting the snooze button to silence it. She grinned happily to herself. Today is Friday, and she couldn't be more excited. In fact, Astrid was downright giddy. She hadn't felt this way in a long time. Her mind drifted to thoughts from last week, last month, even the last 6 months, and she couldn't remember a time when she woke up smiling. The overly analytical Astrid would normally have wanted to get to the root of this feeling, dissect and overthink it, until she knew exactly why she was feeling this way. But for some reason this morning, Astrid was not in the mood to question it too much, so she just decided to enjoy it.

Small scenes from the night before kept popping into her head and making her smile a little. Her plan was starting to fall into place. She finally got Hiccup to talk to her, and for whatever reason, seemed to be at least agreeing to some kind of weird truce. If she really thought about it, she also loved that Hiccup had opened up to her a little bit and let her into his weird little world. Trash talking with him over a videogame had an almost therapeutic effect on her, and blowing people up with grenades was more exhilarating than she imagined. She laughed a little at herself when she contemplated the idea of becoming a gamer. What would her friends say?

She showered and stood in her closet, hugging her towel tightly around her, contemplating her choices. She would be going to the Mall with Hiccup directly after school. Would she have time to change before the party? Probably not. She would need something that would transition easily. She ended up deciding on her off white sweater dress that clung to her curves just right, brown leggings, and her slouchy tan boots. This would look good at the party, but in order to make it a little more school appropriate she added a long tan duster to cover her curves a little, and added a deep red, almost burgundy scarf around her neck for a little modesty at the neckline. It also doubled as a nice pop of color in her otherwise classic palate. She gave herself the once over in the mirror with approval. She put the finishing touches on her makeup and hair, putting in just a little extra effort in her braid by French braiding it loosely, starting from one side of her scalp and bringing it around at a diagonal to swing over her opposite shoulder. She pulled out a few tendrils around her temples to frame her face and complete the look. She packed a few bolder colored lipsticks and shadows for later, keeping her makeup clean and natural for school.

She was in such a good mood that her morning classes flew by like nothing. Something just felt different to her. The air seemed a little cleaner; the sun a little brighter. She was excited about bringing Hiccup to the party tonight. He'd shared something he enjoys with her, albeit a little bit against his will, and now she would share with him a piece of her life. Of course, there were a few added bonuses for Astrid. First, she wouldn't be showing up alone to the party, which was very likely to make Eret at least a little bit jealous, and second, it would give people a chance to notice Hiccup. It was the first step in catapulting him to popular status, and bringing him one step closer to being prom king alongside her. This felt more normal to Astrid. Failure had been taking its toll on her psyche, she definitely needed this win.

During 4th period history that day which was just before lunch, Mrs. Ack was showing a video of the Civil War, which gave Astrid too much time to think. She was running through various scenarios in her head, trying to focus on the bet with Ruffnut, when she started to feel a little pang of guilt building in her chest. It was at that time that Fishleg's words came back to her. _Please don't hurt my friend._ Astrid gulped to keep the bitter taste out of her throat. She certainly wasn't doing anything to hurt him, she just wasn't being completely honest. She'd had a lot of fun with Hiccup, and just because this was part of a bet and she had a mission to accomplish, doesn't mean anyone needs to get hurt.

It was at lunch when Astrid realized she was in trouble. The minute she saw Hiccup, sitting by himself at his usual table, she felt her stomach do a tiny flip flop. She swore to herself under her breath a little and for just a moment, contemplated sitting at her usual table instead, maybe to give Hiccup a break since they'd made big headway. She didn't get far in her thoughts because as she turned to face it, she saw that Eret was already sitting down with all her friends. She knew she would have to get used to being in his company eventually, but that day did not feel like today. She stood stone still for a moment, unable to move, staring at her usual table with her usual friends. Ruffnut turned around and saw her, and waved her friend over happily, ignorant to the fact that Astrid was having a breakdown inside. Her stomach started to churn a little thinking back to the minutes that lead up to Eret ending their relationship. She keeps trying to bury the memory, but every time she sees him, it comes back. Astrid finally shook her head, coming out of her stupor, and turned again towards the green eyed Halo player.

He didn't seem as unhappy when she sat down beside him today. "Afternoon, Astrid." He said politely, still reading something on his phone.

"Hey." She smiled, scooting her chair in and picking up her fork to stir at her salad. "Why don't you eat lunch with Fishlegs?" Now that she knew they were friends, she was wondering why he didn't sit at lunch together.

"Oh, he has lunch next period." Hiccup smiled teasingly with a hint of mischief in his eyes and added, "But I'll let him know you said hi." He continued to pick at his food halfheartedly.

"So, I guess we should exchange phone numbers?" Astrid suggested, eyeing Hiccup's phone. "Especially if we are going to the mall after school."

Hiccup just shook his head. "You know, if anyone else in this school told me they were taking me to the mall for a makeover, I would laugh in their face."

"Anyone else but me?" Astrid repeated, "What's special about me, Hiccup. I mean, just yesterday you acted like I was some kind of rabies infected raccoon!"

Hiccup visibly blushed and cleared his throat. Quickly trying to recover, he said, "uh, n-nothing, I just wasn't thinking before I spoke."

Astrid let the comment slide, but seriously considered his choice of words for a moment. Anyone but her, is she the only one that he would let inside his circle? He had been such a loner for the last few years, it seemed he wanted to keep everyone shut out. What made her an exception? These were questions for a later time.

"So, what's the verdict on the number exchange?" Astrid pulled out her phone and held it out demonstratively, giving it a little wiggle in the air. She set it on the table and unlocked her screen, once again pulling up her text messages. "What's your number, I'll text you so you have mine."

Hiccup sighed and gave her his number, and moments later his phone chimed. He quickly texted her back.

_A: Hey, it's Astrid!_

_H: No crap. You're sitting right next to me._

Astrid giggled a little to herself and decided to text back again just to be dumb.

_A: Am I? Are you sure I'm not just a figment of your imagination?_

The two laughed together and some of the tension from the last few days seemed to melt away. Astrid was surprised to find herself drawn to Hiccup's green eyes. When he talked about something he really cared about, or something he was interested in, they would grow wide and childlike, and she could swear that she saw them sparkle. It was so refreshing to see someone get excited over something other than alcohol or parties. It was getting easier talking to Hiccup, which was absolutely imperative for the bet to work.

The rest of the day had passed quickly and she found herself meeting with Hiccup outside of the school again before she knew it. This time she wasn't alone. Ruff had decided to check out the boy that Astrid had vowed to turn popular.

"Hey Hiccup!" She waved him over to where she and Ruffnut stood. He looked down at his shoes, shuffling his feet and looking nervous. When he finally made his way over, Astrid placed her hand on his shoulder. "Hiccup, this is my best friend, Ruffnut, I didn't know if you guys knew each other."

"Hey, Hiccup!" Ruff smiled

"Hey." Hiccup said rather meekly, "yeah, we've had a few classes together." He cleared his throat. "Ready to go, Astrid?"

"Yep." She said cheerfully, flashing her keys. "I'll drive."

"Have fun, you guys. See you at the party later!" Ruff waved as she walked away from the two.

Astrid began to lead Hiccup towards her car in the parking lot. She drove a cherry red 2014 Camaro, an early graduation present from her father. As they neared the parking lot, Astrid noticed several pairs of eyes following them. Most of the other kids were discreet about their curiosity, but some gaped after them shamelessly. Astrid looked at Hiccup out of the corner of her eye and realized he looked a little self-conscious. His hands were shoved deep in his pockets again and his face looked defeated. Trying to boost his confidence, she slid her hand around his arm, hooking their elbows together while they walked. She hoped the move would help get him the attention.

She hadn't noticed how tall he was before because she had mostly been sitting down while talking to him, but he was several inches taller. She leaned her head against his shoulder for just a moment in an effort to initiate physical contact and make it obvious to anyone around that they were close, maybe even intimate.

Hiccup mumbled something under his breath. Astrid pulled back and looked at him, stopping just short of her car. "What's wrong, Hiccup?"

"I don't know, it's just, so weird." Hiccup sighed. "That girl, your friend Ruffnut, acting like it was her first time meeting me or something."

"Well, I mean, it's been awhile since you've talked to her, probably since grade school, I'd imagine." _Just like me_, she subconsciously added.

Hiccup shook his head. "No." he said firmly before bringing his hand nervously to the back of his neck again, looking down at the ground. "Astrid, I-I don't know if I can do this."

Astrid tightened her grip on Hiccup's arm like he might bolt any minute. "Why not?"

"Astrid, you don't understand!" Hiccup held his head in his hands, rubbing his eyes and eventually rubbing his palm down his face, covering his mouth a moment, and then resting it against the stubble on his chin. "That girl, she _crushed_ me, in junior high."

"Hiccup, Junior high was nearly 4 years ago!" then she paused, mid thought. "Hic, what did she do?"

"It's stupid."

He was starting to shut down. She had to bring him back. _Stick with the plan, Hofferson!_

"No, really, Hiccup… please tell me."

Hiccup sighed, pulling away from Astrid and taking a few steps away before turning around to face her again. He leaned up against Astrid car, crossing his arms in front of him and looking down at the ground.

"It was the 8th grade dance." He began. "She was the only girl who didn't have a date…" his eyes quickly shot towards her, but he did it so quickly she almost didn't notice. _Almost_. "I had overheard her crying about it to one of her friends, and… I thought, well, maybe she'd rather go with me, than go alone. So, I wrote her a note, asking her to go with me. I slipped it to her and tried to walk away, but she stopped me, opened it, and read it out loud in front of everyone. And then everyone laughed." Hiccup paused in his story, jaw tensing and eyes going hard. "She called me a walking fishbone. She threw my note in the trash and walked away laughing. I was standing right there. I mean, it's not like I had a crush on her or something, I was just trying to be a nice guy." Hiccup shook his head a few more times. "It's dumb. I told you."

Hearing Hiccup tell the story, it did start to sound oddly familiar, like maybe she had remembered hearing about it when it happened. How did she forget so much that happened in Junior high?

He stood silent, leaning against her car, arms crossed, looking down at the ground. Astrid walked over to him and eased his arms free and grabbed his hands with both of hers. "I'm so sorry, Hiccup, that that happened to you." She tried to look up into his eyes but he avoided eye contact. She hated seeing his eyes looking so sad.

"Astrid, the guys called me _The Walking Fishbone_ for 2 years. I couldn't even change in the boy's locker room for gym anymore without them calling me names."

Astrid felt grief fill her heart. She knew that some of the people in her crowd could be a little harsh sometimes, but she'd never thought they were downright cruel. She brought Hiccup's hands up to her chest and hugged them. "It'll be different this time, you'll see." She tried to say cheerfully. "You're with me now, ok?" She had to pull him back somehow.

Hiccup looked up at her looking a little surprised. So maybe she hadn't used the best choice of words, but she assumed he understood her point. "Come on." She gestured to her car. Hiccup reluctantly got in the passenger seat as Astrid settled in. Upon starting the car, immediately the upbeat tunes from the local pop station filled the confined space.

"Oh, oh no." Hiccup looked assaulted by the music. "If you are going to drive, we are at least listening to some real music!"

Astrid laughed, easing the tension in the car. "This is real music, Hiccup!" a Nicki Manaj song with heavy beats was playing on the radio.

"Oh please, Astrid, let me show you some real music. Do you have an adapter I can plug into my phone?"

"In the glove box." She giggled, pointing. Hiccup found it in no time. Within a few minutes, he had his phone plugged into the stereo and had settled on a song. The familiar tune started to play over the radio, with quick guitar riffs and an angsty tune.

"Oh, I know this!" Astrid laughed as she recognized the song. It was Blink 182, "What's My Age Again". She loved this song at one time. "A little bit of an older song, huh?"

"Are you kidding, this is the golden age of alternative." Hiccup laughed.

"Alright, Hiccup, you are officially the DJ of the car. Let's go!" Astrid put the car in gear and headed towards the mall.

00000

"You know my dad is going to flip out." Hiccup called from the stall at Express. "Have you seen the prices on some of this stuff?" In all honesty, his dad wouldn't mind a charge on his credit card for some decent clothes, but Hiccup wasn't used to spending this kind of money on clothes. Normally his money went to art supplies or comic books.

He heard Astrid's voice from outside the fitting room. "Is money a problem, Hiccup? I can lend you some if…"

"No… Astrid." Hiccup sighed realizing that she probably was seeing him as some kind of charity case. "No, we can afford it. Don't forget that my dad owns the Lexus dealership. It's just that, I'm normally a little thriftier when it comes to clothes." He was struggling to get the pants she had picked out around his feet. Foot.

"What is taking you so long, Hiccup?" He could hear her coming closer, probably to inspect his progress.

"Wait! Astrid, please stay back until I'm ready." Hiccup panicked, he didn't want her to see….it.

"What, are you afraid I might see your sexy ankles?" It sounded like she stopped advancing, and soon he could hear her boot tapping the floor impatiently from just outside the fitting room. Crisis averted for now.

Hiccup slowly pushed the fitting room door open, it squeaking on its hinges alerting Astrid that he was finished. He came walking out slowly and self-consciously. He was wearing the dark wash jeans that had a slimmer cut than his normal baggy jeans, with a slight boot cut by the ankle. The shirt was a sleek, slate gray button down that she had insisted that he fold the cuffs up to just below his elbows, with the top button undone. He was holding the black leather jacket she had picked out over his shoulder.

Astrid's face lit up when she saw him, "Put the jacket on!" she clapped her hands together and smiled.

Hiccup sighed. "I don't know that the jacket is a good idea, Astrid." He pulled the jacket off his shoulder and held it out in front of him to inspect.

Astrid sighed and put her hands on her hips. "And why not?"

"Astrid, this jacket is $300!" He had the price tag in his hand and was holding the jacket gingerly like he might accidentally ruin it just by touching it.

"Hiccup, that really isn't bad for a leather jacket. Let me just see it!"

Defeated, Hiccup put on the coat and fixed it across his shoulders. Astrid walked over and started to make little adjustments here and there, pressing down a collar, straightening out a hem. She brushed her hands across his shoulders and he could swear he felt a little electricity again. They stood in front of the mirror as Astrid continued to smooth and fret over every detail.

Hiccup turned to her, fully intending to protest the jacket again, but the second his head turned, the words caught in his throat.

He didn't realize how close she'd been standing. When Hiccup turned slightly to face her, their faces were mere inches away. Astrid seemed to be frozen too. His eyes settled on her lips, they looked soft and inviting so close to him. For a split second, he imagined what it would be like to kiss those lips. Everything else in the mall disappeared. He felt a flutter in the pit of his stomach and goose bumps electrifying the back of his neck. He was very aware that her hands were still resting across his shoulders. Hiccup let out an audible gulp and finally broke the silence. "I, uh- the jacket. It's just too much." He said in a muted voice, but didn't take his eyes off her lips.

Astrid shook her head and took a deep breath, "No, Hiccup, that jacket, its perfect on you." She was the one to finally break the moment, taking a step back. "This jacket, it's on me."

"Astrid!" Hiccup looked forward again to the mirror. "I- I can't let you do that!"

"Trust me on this, Hiccup." Astrid was eyeing Hiccup up and down in the mirror. "This jacket was made for you. Consider it an early graduation present. Hiccup began to protest again and she brought up her hand to silence him. "No, Hiccup, I won't take no for an answer."

Hiccup sighed, defeated. "Fine." He looked back in the mirror. "So, what do you think?"

Astrid looked him up and down, looking particularly satisfied. "Just a few more tweaks. Do you own anything other than those black converse shoes? Maybe we can pick you up some dressier shoes."

"No." Hiccup stated firmly.

"Now what?" Astrid breathed, clearly beginning to lose her patience.

"Look, it's kind of private, ok? These shoes are actually custom made. I can't just buy shoes."

"What do you mean?" Astrid looked down at his feet with a perplexed look on her face, like she was trying to figure out what was wrong with his feet. It made him feel self-conscious and shuffle his feet a little.

Hiccup held his head in his hands again. "Look, I said its personal, can we leave it at that?"

"Wait, you didn't want me to come in earlier, when I joked about seeing your ankles?" She was starting to piece something together. "Is… is there something wrong with your feet?"

Hiccup shook his head again. "Foot. You just can't leave anything alone, can you?" He sighed, before gathering his left pant leg in his hand, lifting it up about 6 inches, revealing a prosthetic leg.

Astrid gasped. "Hic! When did that happen?" Her eyes had grown wide with shock, and she grew slightly pale.

Hiccup shook his head. "Summer after sophomore year." He said plainly, jaw tightening. It was not something he liked to talk about.

"How? And how is it that no one knows about this?" Astrid looked genuinely perplexed.

"It was a car accident. We weren't in town, we were actually in Scotland visiting some of my dad's family at the time. That's why no one really knows." Hiccup looked at Astrid with lowered eyes. "Astrid, I'd really appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about this, ok?"

Astrid put her hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "Of course." She said sympathetically.

"No, Astrid, I mean it." He shook his head again, he couldn't believe he had told her. "I don't want to come to school on Monday and have everyone asking to see my fake leg."

"I get it, I get it." Astrid put up her arms in surrender. "That's heavy. I'm sorry."

Astrid looked back at him in the mirror. She gave him the once over which made Hiccup feel self-conscious again. "It will have to do, then. There is almost something charming I guess about the converse with this outfit." She said out loud.

Changing the subject, Astrid clapped her hands again and rubbed her palms together. "Now, let's talk about that hair."


	5. Chapter 5

The air that filled the car during the ride from the mall to Snotlout's party had felt different than the ride to the mall. Hiccup was feeling a little different. Had they shared a moment at the mall, or was that all in his imagination? A shiver ran up his spine remembering just how close he was to her lips. No, he decided, she definitely didn't feel it. He had to remember to keep his guard up a little better, silently chastising himself for letting it slip for just a moment. He would never in his life kiss Astrid Hofferson, and the sooner he accepted that now that she was back in his life, the better off he would be.

He was actually a little bit impressed with Astrid's makeover skills. Not that he particularly felt comfortable in the clothes she had put him in, but he did have to admit, he looked pretty good. He even felt a little more confident in the leather jacket. He sighed, conceding that she may have been right about it. He liked the smell of leather and the noises it made when he moved.

She'd wanted to cut his hair, but that felt too permanent. Luckily she didn't push the issue and seemed happy to just put a little gel in his hair, sweeping it off to the side away from his eyes. He guessed it was better than when it hung into his eyes.

He decided to focus his energy back into being the official car DJ for the night. If he had to go along with Astrid and Fishlegs' respective schemes, he had to at least be able to listen to his own music, and if he could get Astrid to like it too, then he would have saved at least one more victim from the tyranny of the latest pop chart. He put on one of his favorite, older Green Day songs "Welcome to Paradise". He let the song play for a few bars. "Astrid, do you like this song?"

She didn't answer. She seemed to be lost in her own thoughts.

"Astrid?" Hiccup looked at her quizzically. "Astrid, you didn't answer me, do you like this song?"

She cleared her throat, her tone was a bit tight when she answered. 'Oh, yes. This is a good one." She smiled a bit half-heartedly. Hiccup went back to his playlist on his phone, wondering if he could find some music that she would have more of a reaction to on his playlist.

They finally arrived at Snotlout's house, parking on the street that was already lined with several cars. There were several groups of kids making their way to the house. The house itself was one of the nicer houses in town. It was a two story white house with pillars on the front. The outside had always reminded him of the Bank's house from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The landscaping around the front was immaculate. The sky had already grown dark, but there was a warm glow coming from the house as every light was on. She could already hear the faint music pouring out into the lawn.

"Just a sec." Astrid pulled out her makeup bag and began to put on some bolder colors and freshening up her foundation. She had pulled the mirror down and was inspecting her makeup thoroughly.

"You know, you don't need all that." Hiccup said somewhat hesitantly, watching her curiously, "I knew you before you started wearing makeup, and you were just as beautiful then." He looked down at his hands nervously, not sure why he was bringing up such an awkward topic. That was stupid.

"Oh, you're sweet, but of course I need makeup! See these circles under my eyes!" She teased, using her finger to pull at the skin under her eyes, giving out a short giggle.

"You know, this is enemy territory." Hiccup laughed, gesturing at the Jorgenson house. "Snotlout's dad owns the rival BMW dealership. My dad always manages to come out on top on sales, though." He shook his head to himself.

Astrid finished getting ready. She took off her scarf and the sweater she had been wearing over her dress as a jacket. She adjusted the bust of the dress and Hiccup couldn't help but notice the hint of cleavage now showing without the scarf. He had to catch himself from staring, looking away abruptly.

"Ready?" She asked Hiccup cheerfully, nodding her head towards the party.

There was a beat of silence as Hiccup sat motionless in the car. "C-can I just, I mean…" Hiccup stammered not sure what to say, his resolve to play along with Astrid wavering at the sight of the massive party. "I-I'm just a little nervous. I mean, this isn't really my crowd, and I'm not really too into drinking."

"…Wanna know a secret?" Astrid asked, giggling a little. When Hiccup nodded she continued. "Me neither. Normally I just hold a drink in my hand and nurse it all night."

Hiccup laughed a little and relaxed at Astrid's confession. They got out of the car and started to walk up the sidewalk to the doorway. Astrid weaved her arm through Hiccup's, resting comfortably against him as they walked. It felt weird to have her on his arm, but it did make him feel a little more confident.

When they got inside, Ruff immediately ran over to them. "Astrid! I'm so glad you made it. I was starting to worry…" Ruff stopped what she was doing and gaped at Hiccup. "Oh…. oh my! Hiccup! Is that you?" Ruff looked him eagerly up and down, making Hiccup gulp.

"Hey! Do you like it?" Astrid smiled and gestured to the jacket like she was trying to break Ruff's temporary trance. Ruffnut smiled and shook her head in amazement.

"Come on, guys! I saved us some seats back in the living room with the gang!" Ruff placed herself on the other side of Hiccup, linking her arm with his and leading them to the back of the house. They must have been a funny sight to see, Hiccup with Astrid on one side and Ruff on the other.

When they made it to the back room, Hiccup looked around and saw the group of friends that Astrid normally hung out with. Snotlout was standing by the fireplace, pumping the keg and filling his red solo cup with booze. Heather was sitting on the couch laughing at something Tuffnut was saying, both holding their own cups. Eret was standing over by the window watching a group of girls who had decided to get in the hot tub in the back yard.

Ruffnut, being the outgoing and sometimes impulsive person she was, had no problem announcing their arrival. "Hey guys, Astrid made it!" Everyone looked up to greet her.

Heather jumped up first and ran over to Astrid. "Astrid! You haven't sat with us at lunch the last few days! I was starting to worry something was wrong!" She pulled her close for a hug so she could say a little bit quieter, "Are you doing ok, you know…" She gestured towards Eret who was still gazing nonchalantly out the window.

Astrid merely shook her head. "Nah, I'm fine, I just needed a change of scenery."

It was at that point as Heather was pulling away from Astrid that her eyes settled on Hiccup. His hands were in his pockets and he looked down at his shoes. "Well, a change of scenery, huh?" Hiccup noticed Astrid eyeing Heather hard as she spoke. "Where did you find such a good looking guy?"

Hiccup stiffened at the compliment. Surely, she was being sarcastic. "Heather? Don't you recognize him! It's Hiccup!" Astrid exclaimed. When Heather looked at her blankly, she laughed, shaking her head. "Hiccup Haddock?" she added.

"We have Math together this semester, 2nd period." Hiccup murmured self-consciously under his breath.

"Oh….OH!" Heather laughed. "Hiccup? I didn't even recognize you." She winked at him, throwing her hair across her shoulder.

Heather's features were dark and dramatic. Her coloring was in direct contrast to Astrid's. While Astrid mostly came off as cool and friendly, Heather struck him as warm but dangerous. The look she was giving him was enough to make him shiver a little.

Snotlout walked over with a few drinks in his hand. "Haddock? What're you doing here?" His tone was surprised, but carried a hint of threat.

"He's with me." Astrid answered, gripping Hiccup's arm a little tighter as though to reinforce her words.

"Since when are you friends with Hiccup?" Snot asked, sizing him up. Hiccup merely shrugged as if to say _I have no idea, it beats the hell out of me, too._

"Hey, am I not allowed to make new friends?" Astrid tossed her braid across her shoulder, smoothing her bangs across her forehead.

"Fair enough." Snotlout had responded, clearly wanting to drop the subject. He handed Astrid and Hiccup the two cups in his hands. "Cheers!"

Hiccup accepted the drink and looked at Astrid out of the corner of his eye. She brought the cup up in a mock toast before bringing the drink to her lips, taking a small sip. Hiccup decided to follow suit.

"WHAT THE…"

Hiccup looked up in time to see Eret looking in their direction. He must have finally torn his eyes away from the bathing beauties outside. He saw Astrid roll her eyes. Hiccup stiffened again, feeling more uncomfortable than ever, looking down at his feet. This was a mistake.

"Oh-ho ho, what do we have here?" Eret laughed smugly, walking towards Astrid and Hiccup. "Listen, sweetheart, I know losing me was devastating, but do you really have to go slumming it with the first guy you found on the street?" Eret chuckled with an air of arrogance.

Hiccup could feel a mix of both embarrassment and indignation filling him as Eret spoke. Sure, he may not be a popular kid, but _slumming it_ was a bit of a stretch, it's not like Hiccup's family was poor.

"Oh, hey there Eret." Hiccup replied, without thinking it through. "I would think anyone would be an improvement. I mean, didn't you nearly get kicked off the Football team because your GPA was too low?" It all slipped out before he could stop himself. This was somewhat classified information. He steeled himself for the backlash that would likely come from Eret. _Oh shit this was such a stupid idea._

Eret stepped forward and grabbed Hiccup by the arm, pushing him back against the wall. "You want to run that by me again Small fry?"

"Wow, too bad your brains are all in your biceps." Hiccup spat as Eret grabbed him tighter. _SHIT again, why can't he shut up? _

"Eret! STOP!" Astrid pushed Eret off of Hiccup. He stepped back and looked at her with wide eyes.

"Fine." Eret said, pulling outward on his collar dramatically to adjust his letterman's jacket. "I guess it's none of my business who you are slumming it with. Just stay out of my sight." He walked back towards the window.

"Come on, Hiccup." Astrid grabbed Hiccup's arm again. "Let's go elsewhere!"

The night began to become a bit of a blur. Astrid was dragging Hiccup from group to group, introducing him to people he already knew, but who pretended it was their first time noticing him. After about an hour, Hiccup pulled away from Astrid. "Hey, I have to use the restroom real quick, ok?"

Hiccup searched for the nearest bathroom. Once he found it he looked at himself hard in the mirror. He was beginning to really hate agreeing to this experiment Fishlegs talked him into. If Fishlegs had to be the one infiltrating enemy lines, he would have already given up. All these people here giving him fake smiles and pretending he was cool just because Astrid was with him was making him sick to his stomach. If they were at school, they would all ignore them. They were so shallow. He shook his head at the guy he almost didn't recognize in the mirror, with his hair pulled to the side and the nice clothes. It just wasn't him. Astrid seemed like she was trying really hard to make sure people noticed him. Was she actually trying to make him popular? Everything was so weird.

He walked out of the bathroom and started to walk down the hall to find Astrid. Instead, a kid he recognized from the basketball team ran into him first.

"Haddock, is it?" The boy asked. "I'm Eric. Did you really come with Astrid?"

"Yeah, yeah I did." Hiccup responded casually, eyes searching down the hall for her.

"Dude, you have to come have a drink with us, I mean, Astrid Hofferson? You are the man."

Hiccup sighed. If he was going through with this crazy plot, he might as well throw himself into it. He agreed and before he knew it, he was in the kitchen with the rest of the basketball team downing shots. Hey, it's what the cool kids do, right?

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Astrid was normally pretty good about controlling herself with Alcohol, but she was such a bundle of nerves, what with Eret's strong reaction to seeing her here with Hiccup and trying to make sure everyone at the party saw Hiccup here with her. People kept walking by and handing her drinks, and she started to lose track of how many she'd had. She was quickly beginning to notice a warm feeling spreading through her and her thoughts were getting a little fuzzy. It wasn't until about 30 minutes later she suddenly realized Hiccup hadn't come to find her after going to the bathroom.

She searched throughout the house, looking for him. As she was walking past one of the bedrooms, she heard the familiar giggle of her best friend. She peaked her head in to see Ruff and Eret making out on the bed. Eret was sitting on the edge of the bed, and Ruff was sitting on his lap, straddling him. Eret's hands were rubbing up and down her back, under her shirt.

Astrid's face went red and she felt her insides squeeze. She always knew this was a possibility. Ruff made no secret of her attraction to Eret, and Eret would screw anything that was willing. She sucked in her breath and tore away from the bedroom, trying to get away where she could be alone a moment to collect her thoughts.

It was as she was running away that she finally spotted Hiccup. He was in the kitchen with a bunch of guys from the Basketball team. Everyone was chanting and doing shots, and she noticed with shock that Hiccup was doing shots right along with them. One of the guys pulled out a beer bong and handed it to Hiccup. He nodded and assumed the position while the guys poured beer into the funnel as Hiccup drank.

"Hiccup! Hiccup! Hiccup!" The meatheads chanted. When the bong was done, Hiccup pumped his fist in the air and gave out a loud "Woo!"

She ran over to him. "Hiccup! What are you doing? What happened to you?"

"Oh, you know, Astrid." He laughed, slurring his words. "Just, you know, trying to fit in with the cool kids. I mean, isn't that what you were trying to do! Well, congratu-fucking-lations, I'm drunk!" Hiccup laughed and the guys around him laughed along.

Astrid froze. Had she gone too far? Of course she had. She had pushed Hiccup too hard at this party. Seeing Eret had made her less in tune with him. The tears that had already welled a little in her eyes at the sight of Eret and her best friend were refueled at seeing Hiccup acting this way.

"Dude!" one of the guys slung his arm around Hiccup's shoulder. "I still can't believe you came here with Astrid!"

"Yeah…" Hiccup's speech slurred. "I guess I did."

One of the other guys stumbled over and high fived him. "You are the man, Hiccup!" he slurred, and began humping the air with his hips, hands in front of them cradling an imaginary ass. All the guys laughed and looked at Astrid. She was suddenly very aware of her revealing neckline and short dress.

Feeling a little ashamed, Astrid shook her head and ran out of that room as well. This was turning into a nightmare. She found herself in a corner of an empty bedroom alone, chugging down the last of the beer in her hand before chucking the red solo cup across the room. She slid down the wall and hugged her legs in tight, resting her head on her knees. How did this night get so messed up?

Astrid normally prided herself as being tough as nails. Anytime she felt upset, afraid, or alone, she would bury it deep and let it out on her punching bag back home instead. Nothing could get to her and break her down. But sitting here alone on the floor against the wall with more alcohol in her system than she normally allowed herself, and playing the image of Hiccup being something he wasn't, something she was basically trying to push him into being? It was too much. Astrid felt herself break down. As the tears began to flow out of her eyes and slide down her cheeks, all the frustrations she had been burying deep inside bubbled to the surface, flowing out of her like lava from a volcano.

Astrid suddenly became aware of the fact that she wasn't alone.

"Oh Astrid." Eret's voice boomed as he knelt down in front of her, running his fingers through her bangs, "I told you, you would be miserable without me."

Astrid flinched away violently from his touch, stomach beginning to churn as memories of the last time he had touched her fought their way into her mind, betraying her will to hide and forget it.

She grabbed his hand and pushed it away. "Don't touch me. Ever!"

"Oh love," Eret laughed. "Jealousy is not a good color on you. I know you saw me with Ruffnut. You hate it, don't you?" He laughed.

"Stay away from Ruffnut!" Astrid screamed, "She is too good for you, you low life scum, you son of a bitch!" She spit on him.

Eret stumbled back in surprise, wiping the offending spit off his cheek. He chuckled to himself. He seemed to be pleased that he could still get to her. "You know, you still have a chance with me." He began to advance towards her, trying to grab at her arms to expose her torso to him. "You know what I want, love, why don't you just give it to me?"

Astrid closed her eyes tight and coiled into herself for protection. "No!" She screamed, not sure how much Eret had to drink or how far he would take this advance. He was ignoring her and continued to try to pull at her dress. Astrid started to beat on Eret's arms with her fists, but barely made a dent in his strong arms. If she hadn't drank quite so much alcohol, she could defend herself just fine, but in her current state, everything was a blur.

"DON'T TOUCH HER!"

Astrid looked up to see Hiccup standing in the doorway of the bedroom, looking a little worse for the wear, but his eyes were dark, intense, and seething.

Eret stopped in his tracks and turned to Hiccup and laughed. "Oh, it's the Small Fry… and just what are you going to do about it then?" He began to walk menacingly towards Hiccup.

"I know things." Hiccup cleared his throat. "You know Fishlegs, the one who was tutoring you in Math? He's my best friend."

Eret stopped mid step and cocked his head to the side. "What are you getting at, Haddock?"

"He told me everything. How you cried like a baby when you were failing your basic math class and faced being kicked off the team. He's never told anyone but me, and we've kept it to ourselves this entire time."

"You're bluffing, you are making that up. It's not true!" Eret began to advance toward Hiccup again.

Hiccup cleared his throat, holding onto the doorframe to keep from falling in his inebriated state. "Leave Astrid alone right now, or we will tell everyone. Now get out!"

Eret paused, looking back and forth from Astrid and Hiccup. "You know what, you little pipsqueak, this isn't worth my time. Have fun with Astrid, she's a high maintenance tease." Eret walked towards the doorframe where Hiccup stood and pushed past him, stalking down the hallway to find his next conquest.

Hiccup ran to Astrid and dropped down to the ground next to her. "A-Astrid, are you ok?" he slurred, grabbing her and hugging her close.

Astrid took a deep breath, her bottom lip trembling. "I-I'm fine, Hiccup. Thanks to you." She was shaken up from the encounter, feeling vulnerable, so when Hiccup sat next to her, she grabbed him and buried her face in his shoulder. He grabbed her back, hugging her tight while she cried.

"Hiccup, I want to leave."

"Me too, I thought you would never ask." Hiccup paused. "Hey, I'm sorry about before, with the guys."

"No, Hiccup, I'm the one pushing you too hard. I'm sorry."

They sat on the floor for a few moments, Astrid desperately trying to regain her composure.

"A-Astrid?" He stammered, "I-I don't feel so…" And with that, Hiccup leaned over and puked on the floor, mostly missing Astrid. Mostly.

"Oh Hiccup, I don't think either of us can drive." Astrid instinctively patted Hiccup's back as his body was stretched across her lap, retching on the floor beside her.

Astrid pulled out her phone. Her vision was blurry but she somehow managed to find just the right person.

A: Fish, we're in trouble. We need a ride.

F: Where are you?

A: Snotlout's house. Can you pick us up?

F: Sure thing, I'll be there in a few.

Astrid and Hiccup were sitting on the front porch when Fishlegs showed up. Hiccup was much worse off than Astrid, so Fishlegs and Astrid picked up Hiccup on either side and helped him stagger to Fishleg's car. Fishlegs drove first to Hiccup's house.

"Will Hiccup's dad be mad?" Astrid asked, looking up at Hiccup's impressive house. It was two story and all brick, with a large wrap around porch.

"Nah, he's actually out of town this weekend, attending a conference." Fishlegs and Astrid once again had to help Hiccup into the house. They got him into Hiccup's bedroom which was no easy feat. Astrid carefully peeled off Hiccup's leather jacket and shoes, only wincing slightly at the sight of the prosthetic. He was passed out on his bed in no time.

Astrid found herself extremely tired. Fishlegs offered to take her home next, but she declined.

"I told my parents I was staying at Ruffnut's house tonight." She admitted. "And if I showed up like this, I'd never hear the end of it." Astrid looked at Hiccup's full sized bed longingly, exhausted not only from alcohol, but from the emotional mess she had put herself through tonight. "I'm just going to crash here I think. Seriously, thank you Fishlegs, for everything." She gave Fishlegs a genuine hug. He nodded and left the room.

In her drunken state, she pulled off her boots and tights. She scowled at her dress, noticing the stain where Hiccup had not quite missed her while puking. Without thinking, she pulled the dress off, leaving just her underwear and bra. She scanned the room quickly and found a t-shirt folded on top of Hiccup's dresser. She hastily pulled it on. She was going to lay down on the floor, or maybe make her way downstairs to the couch, but she looked longingly at the bed beside Hiccup. It was a big bed, there was plenty of room. Besides, it was just sleep, right? Astrid gave in and snuggled herself into the blankets. She might have a lot to explain tomorrow, but right now, all she wanted was sleep.

Astrid drifted off to sleep with the scent of Hiccup surrounding her.


	6. Chapter 6

Warmth surrounded Astrid as she snuggled under the down comforter that seemed to swallow her whole. Her head was swimming, vaguely trying to grab onto fuzzy memories from the night before, trying to discern what was real from the fantasies of her wild dreaming. There was a pounding in her head, and the faint churning of her stomach trying selfishly to pull her from her bliss.

She stirred only slightly, aware that her bed was warmer than she normally remembered it. It was softer too. She was snuggled against something warm that smelled like a combination of leather and beer. Her hands reached to the object, hands sliding over the warmth of bare skin.

Something was tugging at Astrid consciousness, trying to awaken her, screaming at her that something wasn't quite right. Astrid's subconscious fought hard with her waking brain, trying to push away the light of the morning. She felt her leg tangled with another leg, heat matching heat, breath matching breath.

Wherever she was, something felt right. Even as her brain tempted to wake her, she melted even more into his presence. _His, _her subconscious screamed again. She felt an arm cradling under her neck, and the soft pressure of fingertips on her back. Astrid took in a deep breath as her brain began to win, her eyes slowly beginning to flutter open in protest.

"What the…"

Hiccup's panicked voice pulled Astrid abruptly awake, the memory of last night and how she had ended up here, in Hiccup's bed, slammed into her heart with the force of a thousand bricks. The warm and fuzzy feelings that surrounded her now felt like they'd been rudely ripped away. Her eyes snapped open in time to see Hiccup had jumped up from the bed, pacing his bedroom and running his hands through his hair.

Astrid looked down at herself and quickly glanced over to her rumpled dress beside the bed. It all came back to her, how they'd been drunk, Hiccup had thrown up on her dress, everything. Unfortunately, she had not been drunk enough to forget her run in with Eret either. The memory of him grabbing at her dress sent her already upset stomach churning.

Astrid covered up with the blanket while Hiccup paced. "It's ok, Hiccup." She said gently, trying to calm him down, and trying to downplay her own feelings of embarrassment.

Hiccup turned towards her, fingers weaved through his hair, tugging gently. "Astrid, I don't remember last night. Did I… I mean… did we?" His voice trailed off as his face turned a bright shade of red at just the thought of that 3 letter word.

"You mean, did we have sex?" Her words felt foreign. If she didn't know for sure that nothing happened, she would have been as panicked as Hiccup, but that didn't stop her heart from pounding in her chest as she heard the words escape her lips.

"Oh god, Astrid!" He began, walking towards the bed and collapsing next to her. "I'm so sorry! Oh, it's all so messed up!"

Astrid took a deep breath. "Hiccup! We didn't fuck, ok?"

His features visibly relaxed and he let out a huge sigh of relief. "Oh thank god!" He sat back onto the bed, leaning back against the headboard with his head in his hands, covering his face which was still flushed a beat red.

"Well gee, Hiccup." Astrid desperately tried to lighten the mood. "Just what every girl wants to hear when she wakes up half-naked in a guy's bed." She gave Hiccup a playful punch in the arm.

Hiccup mumbled something she couldn't hear. When she prodded him to repeat himself, he finally answered with, "It's just, if we really did have sex, that would be something I'd want to remember." He looked down awkwardly at his hands.

Astrid laughed and leaned up to give Hiccup a kiss on the cheek. While it wasn't meant to be an intimate gesture, she felt a shock go through her body when she saw Hiccup's look of surprise. "That's actually kind of sweet." She was beginning to relax as she watched Hiccup's muscles lose their tension. She gave him a slight punch to the arm playfully to try to reinforce the fact that everything was fine.

Hiccup smiled, giving her a little bit of a push back on her shoulder.

The two of them laughed for a moment. Astrid's gaze went back to her dress. She scooped it up from beside the bed to inspect the stain. It was brown and probably about the size of a dinner plate.

"Is that from me?" Hiccup asked, pointing to the offending garment. Astrid nodded and Hiccup shook his head, running his hand through his hair again. "I'll pay to have it dry cleaned."

"No, it's really no big deal, Hiccup." She said. "Besides, if anyone should be sorry, it should be me. I pushed you too hard last night."

Hiccup smiled tightly. "Thank you, for acknowledging that." He sighed. "It still wasn't cool of me to kind of ditch you there, for a minute."

Then Hiccup snapped to Astrid, eyes wide. "Wait, some things are coming back to me. Did… did Eret… I mean… was he really trying to…" his voice trailed off, as though he couldn't even say the words.

Now it was Astrid's turn to look down at her hands. She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, trying to erase the memory like an etch-a-sketch. After a long moment, Astrid simply said, "Yes."

"Astrid, I'm so sorry." Hiccup's face had turned pale with the memory. He put his hand on her shoulder to try to show his empathy.

"Oh no, Hiccup. It's fine. I'll be fine." She managed a tight smile. "If you hadn't been there, though…" Her voice trailed.

"Me?" Hiccup looked down at his hands as though expecting to see bloody knuckles. "What did I do?"

Astrid shook her head. "You blackmailed him, essentially. Something about crying to Fishlegs about failing math."

The look of horror on Hiccup's face caused Astrid's stomach to drop. "I did WHAT!?" He held his head in his hands, shaking it back and forth. "Oh man, Fish is going to kill me."

"Don't worry." Astrid tried to calm him, "It seemed really affective. I don't think you have to worry about Eret." Astrid laid back down on the bed, still tired, and pulled the blankets up to her chin for warmth. "Besides, if he does anything to you or Fish, he will have to answer to me."

Astrid brought her palm to her forehead. "Ugh, I have no idea why I let myself drink so much! I have a meet today at noon and I feel like crap!" Her stomach churned again as if to reinforce her sentiments.

Hiccup jumped up and murmured "Be right back" and in no time he was back in the bedroom handing Astrid some Tylenol and a glass of water.

Astrid took the glass and the medicine. The water felt cool on her throat. "Thank you, Hiccup."

"Is there anything else you need to feel better? Maybe we could make some breakfast or something." He winced just slightly as though he wasn't sure what the protocol was for waking up with a half-naked girl in his bed.

Astrid giggled a little at his awkwardness. "I'll have to take a rain check on breakfast, I really should be getting home so I can get ready for my meet in just a few hours.

"Here, let me give you some clothes you can go home in, since your dress is kind of ruined." He went over to his dresser, rummaging through his clothes.

Astrid looked down and remembered pulling on one of his t-shirts last night. She realized the t-shirt was a Marvel shirt with the Avengers across the shirt. If her parents ask, she'll just say she borrowed it from Tuffnut, Ruffnut's brother, while she was staying the night.

Hiccup tossed over a pair of athletic pants. "I hope these will be all right."

"Yes, that will be fine. Thank you." Astrid had never done a 'walk of shame' before, but she was pretty sure this is what it would feel like, coming home in sweatpants and an avengers shirt.

Hiccup insisted on giving Astrid privacy while she got dressed. Astrid admired that about him, any other guy would have tried to stay for the peep show.

As she was dressing, she couldn't help but notice all the drawings and paintings around Hiccup's room. Some of them were framed and hanging neatly, while others looked like they'd been taped hastily to the wall. A lot of the pictures were of a black dragon, with an almost panther like quality. She went over to Hiccup's desk and noticed handmade comic books depicting the same dragon, among other dragons of different shapes and sizes.

"Hey Astrid, are you dressed in there?"

"Yeah, Hiccup, you can come in now."

Hiccup came in just in time to see her leafing through his comic. He walked over sheepishly and rubbed his hand nervously on the back of his neck. "Yeah, I know it's stupid, but I write and illustrate comic books." He winced a little like he was expecting her to laugh at him.

"No, Hiccup, these are amazing." She reassured him, flipping through a few pages of panels depicting the dragon and a young dragon rider. "You did this?"

"Yes." Hiccup said plainly, before sitting back down on his bed. It was at that moment a black cat with similar eyes as the dragon came purring into the room.

"Astrid, this is my cat, Toothless."

Astrid bent to pet the purring cat. "Why Toothless?" She asked as the cat rubbed against her leg.

"He's missing a tooth." Hiccup replied. He paused for a second before deciding to elaborate. "When I had my accident, they said it might be therapeutic to have a pet, so my dad got me Toothless. I really had a hard time, you know, when it happened." Hiccup paused to glance at his leg, wincing slightly. "When we noticed he was missing a tooth, I started to imagine that he did it on purpose, like, he could retract them at will. It's part of how I got the idea for the dragon in my comics, who I also named Toothless."

"Oh!" Astrid nodded in understanding. "So, the comic books were kind of a therapy in a way, too?"

Hiccup laughed. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"So this boy, the one riding the dragon, that is based on you?" Astrid pointed to a picture of the boy, exaggeratedly skinny with a mop of hair on his head similar to Hiccup's.

"Yep, that is Hiccup." He laughed. "I know, a little narcissistic of me to make a comic where the protagonist in the story is named after myself."

"And is a skinny boy with a dragon, who doesn't quite fit in with the other Vikings?" Astrid finished for him as she skimmed the first few pages.

Hiccup looked down at the ground, averting eye contact again. He cleared his throat. "Oh, I guess, I guess you caught that, huh."

Astrid was beginning to see a pattern, anytime Hiccup was feeling insecure, he would avoid eye contact with her. She needed to break him of that, he needed to be able to look people in the eye. She bent down to catch his gaze. "Hiccup, these are amazing. You have more talent in your little pinkly than the entire school combined. You should be proud!" She didn't really know much about comic books, of course, but she still thought it was pretty cool that Hiccup could make them. They looked like something she could go out to the store and buy, which in Astrid's book was pretty impressive, even if it was kind of dorky.

Hiccup's gaze rose to meet hers. A wide grin began to spread across his face. "You really like it?"

Astrid flipped through a few more pages, finding an eloquent story about a boy who was different, but was able to save his village anyway. "Yes!" She answered truthfully.

She started to pick up another comic and Hiccup stood up and took it out of her hands. "Uh… this one isn't done yet, Astrid. In fact, you wouldn't be interested in the rest." He cleared his throat and looked at the ground nervously. Astrid found it a little peculiar, like maybe he was hiding something, but didn't push the issue.

"Actually, Astrid, me and Fish, and a couple other guys we know from the comic book store, we are all renting a booth at Comic-Con, to try to sell our comics. If the right people like them, it could get published." Astrid noticed his eyes sparkling like they do when he's really excited.

"That's great!" Astrid placed her hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "That would be amazing!"

Hiccup nodded, and then glanced down at the hall towards his dad's room. "It would really mean a lot to me, to be able to do something with my comic. If it were up to my dad, I would follow in his footsteps and work at the dealership." He shook his head.

"I mean, that doesn't sound too bad?" Astrid began, "I mean, at least it's a guaranteed job, which is more than the rest of us can say."

"Yeah, I know, and I'm grateful for the option, trust me." Hiccup began to play with a pencil in his hands, twirling it around his fingers. "But being friendly to strangers just to sell a car, making commercials for tv, that's just not me, Astrid. That's always been his thing."

"What does you dad think of your comics?" Astrid asked, still flipping carefully through the pages of the only comic he seemed comfortable with her looking at.

"He thinks it's a waste of time. He feels the same about art school." Hiccup paused as he shuffled his feet, looking down at the ground. "I just know that if my comic book was noticed at Comic-Con and got picked up by a publisher, he would see things my way. He might even pay for art school then."

"Where are you going to Art school?" Astrid asked, interest peaked. She still hadn't decided which school she would be going to, and was always interested to hear how everyone else had decided.

"New York. Columbia University's school of art." He said it plainly, with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Wow!" Astrid smiled. "Columbia was one of the schools I was accepted to also."

Hiccup eyed her thoughtfully. "Where are you going, Astrid?"

Astrid flipped her bangs from her eyes as she continued to study the pages in front of her. "I'm not sure yet." She answered, trying to keep the anxiousness out of her voice.

"Astrid, those deadlines are coming up pretty soon."

"Yeah, I know. I'll be fine." Astrid gave him a tight smile.

Astrid set down the comic book and glanced again at her watch. It was 10:45. She needed to get home at least by 11:30 so she could shower and get to the meet by 12. She found herself not wanting to leave. There was something about Hiccup's house that was so warm and inviting, but she knew she should probably get going.

"I better start heading home." Astrid began to walk down the hall, with Hiccup right behind her. As she rounded a corner to the stairs, the wall in front of her caught her attention. The wall was completely covered in pictures and newspaper clippings. It was all about Hiccup's mom.

"Oh Hiccup…" She stopped, her breath caught in her throat. "I almost forgot…"

Hiccup cleared his throat. "It's ok."

"That happened in junior high, right?" The memories of the news on TV came back to her as vividly as if it was yesterday.

_A Local woman was abducted from her home today, causing police to issue a state wide alert. Valka Haddock was last seen at her home at 9am. Her husband became worried when she wasn't answering his calls from work and contacted the police to check on her. When police arrived at the scene they found signs of a struggle and forcible entry that suggest that she was taken. Police have questioned neighbors but the only clue that anyone could give them was that a blue sedan had been parked out front of the house sometime that afternoon. News 4 will keep you up to date on any new developments. _

Astrid felt her heart squeeze a little in her chest as she looked at the pictures and newspaper clippings from the abduction. Hiccup walked up behind her, glancing at the wall with a set jaw.

"He's never given up." He said, trying to sound tough. "He believes someday we'll find her, or she'll find her way back home." He buried his hands deep in his pockets. "I miss her a lot, but it hurts too much to hope."

Astrid gave Hiccup a sympathetic look and put her arm around his back, bringing him in for a squeeze, her heart breaking for him. Hiccup merely shrugged. It became clear that Hiccup didn't want to talk about it as he turned to lead her down the stairs.

"So, do you think you can give me a ride to my car?" She asked, remembering that her car was still parked in front of Snotlout's house. He nodded and they went outside together to Hiccup's older Lexus. White lettering splattered across the rear window advertised: CHIEF HADDOCK'S NEW AND CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED LEXUS DEALERSHIP- serving the greater Minneapolis area- GO VIKINGS! With his iconic symbol of a Viking helmet underneath.

The two drove to Astrid's car in silence. Astrid knew that things were still a little strained from last night. She would have to be more careful about pushing him, or he will figure out something isn't right. When Hiccup pulled up to Astrid's car, the street looked different than the night before. Instead of cars lining up and down the street, there were just a few random cars left, abandoned just like Astrid's from a night of drinking. The sun was peeking through the trees, casting beams of light down on the lawn, giving the house a light and calming effect, in direct contrast with the dark from the night before. It was almost enough to make Astrid forget that so much had happened in this very house last night.

Hiccup got out of the car and followed Astrid to hers, leaning against the rear passenger door on the drivers' side as she opened hers.

"Listen, Hiccup," Astrid began, turning to face him as she stood just inside the door. "Thank you, for going to the party with me, and for the whole Eret thing," her voice trailed a little as she made a circling motion with her wrist, as though wrapped the whole experience into a box to bury deep. "And I'm really sorry that I pushed you."

Hiccup shrugged. "It's ok. I had a good time, despite myself. I still hate that people are acting like they haven't ignored me practically all my life, but they were nice enough to me last night, I guess."

Astrid reached out and pulled him in for a hug. He hesitated at first, unsure what to do with his hands, but finally he settled them behind her on her back, taking in the scent of her hair.

"Text me, ok?" She said, giving him a final squeeze.

"Good luck at your meet today." Hiccup said with a wave as he made his way back to his car.

Astrid collapsed into the driver's seat and folded her arms onto the steering wheel, resting her head for a moment. She knew she was getting in deep. She was starting to like Hiccup, which made the terms of her bet harder to swallow. Her phone buzzed and her heart leapt into her throat thinking maybe Hiccup had already texted her, like she'd asked. Instead, it was a text from Ruffnut.

R: Hey, Astrid, how are you feeling?

Astrid sat silently staring at the text message. She wasn't sure what to say, or if she wanted to say anything at all. The image of Ruff straddling Eret's lap was an image she could not shake from her memory. It made her stomach churn just a little bit at the thought.

Her phone buzzed again, tearing her from her thoughts and making her jump just a little. It was another text from Ruff.

R: Listen, I'm really sorry about last night. Can we talk after your meet today?

Astrid shook her head at her phone and after staring at it for a minute, trying to find the words to say. The words didn't come, couldn't come right now, so she put her phone on silent and put the car into gear. She needed to concentrate on the meet for now. Athletic scholarships don't just give themselves away.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Just wanted to give a serious thank you to foxes-rocks for pushing me to improve this story and keeping me on my toes. Happy reading!**

The light shone through the window as an awful reminder that it was morning. Astrid turned away, burying her head in her pillow. Stirring in her own bed seemed so cold and lonely, she didn't feel the same warmth and comfort that she had felt when she was waking up the morning before.

Her comforter seemed too scratchy, her pillows not quite soft enough. She made a mental note in her sleepy state to pick up a down comforter and pillow. That had been the best she'd ever slept, albeit she was sure the alcohol could have had something to do with it. _Not to mention the company_, her subconscious snuck in. Astrid shook her head into her pillow, trying to ignore that last bit.

Her track meet had gone fine, but her heart just wasn't quite in it. Between the scene with Eret at the party, not talking with Ruffnut, and whatever it was she had going on with Hiccup, her life just didn't seem the same as it was a week ago.

Her phone buzzed beside her, pulling her back from her thoughts.

R: Are you ever going to talk to me again?

This was exactly the 26th text from Ruffnut in the last 24 hours. Astrid sighed. Ruffnut had been her friend forever. She wasn't without her faults of course, but she was still her friend. She just wasn't sure what to say, but she knew she needed to respond somehow. Astrid sat up in her bed, leaning back against her headboard. She stared at her phone for several minutes. She began to type something, but then deleted it. She attempted to put her feelings in a text 3 more times, before settling with the following:

A: We're ok.

It was short and to the point. She didn't really want to talk about it, honestly. She felt like she'd already let Ruff know her feelings on Eret, so there was no need to hash those out again. She relaxed back into her pillow, letting her arms fall to her sides, her hand relaxing to let the phone slide just slightly out of her hands, when she felt it buzz again.

R: Can I come over today?

Astrid closed her eyes tight. She wasn't sure she wanted to get together with Ruffnut today. Not because she was still mad at her friend, but just because she felt like being alone. She was still tired from partying Friday night, and her meet yesterday. She needed a day to herself. She needed to study and begin working on her English essay anyway. Before she could respond, her phone buzzed again.

H: Good Morning, Astrid. I hope your meet went well.

Astrid's heart leapt into her throat. Normally Astrid would take her time and come up with a well thought out response to her texts, but for some reason, she just typed and sent the first thing that jumped in her head.

A: My bed sucks. I wish I had a down comforter like yours.

WHAT? Why had Astrid texted that? Oh my, that was awkward. If only you could retract text messages.

H: ummm, do you want one? I have a spare?

Oh this was awkward. Astrid would have to fix this.

A: LOL I'm jk.

H: Oh, ok. Are you doing ok?

Astrid hugged her phone in close to her chest. She wished she could just tell him no, nothing is ok. My life feels like it's been turned upside-down. She wished for once, she could just trust someone enough to unload her feelings, share them with an empathetic ear. She was used to boxing up her hurt and hiding it.

A: Yeah, I'm fine. What're you up to today?

H: Not much, just trying to finish up my last couple of sketches for my comic books and hanging out with Fishlegs, You?

A: Homework.

H: Oh, of course. I'll leave you alone. Sorry to bother you.

Astrid giggled to herself. What a dork.

A: LOL, Hiccup, I told you to text me, remember?

Astrid sighed, realizing she needed to get out of bed eventually. She kicked off the covers and felt her bare feet on her carpet, wiggling her toes for just a moment in the comfort of the fibers. Her phone buzzed again.

R: Astrid? Are you going to answer me?

A: Not today, Ruff, I have homework.

R: Whatever. Talk to you tomorrow?

A: Definitely.

Alright, crisis averted for now. She didn't want to make Ruff suffer any more than she already had.

She made her way down to the kitchen, where her parents were sitting around the table, sipping on their morning coffee.

"Good Morning, Astrid." Her mother smiled warmly while reading the news on her tablet.

Astrid mumbled her morning greetings to her parents. Her mother was a breathtaking woman when she was younger. If you looked at pictures of the two of them at 18, you would have sworn it was the same person. Now, Cindy Hofferson had the slightly wider hips of a woman who'd given birth to two children. She also had the gray streaks in her short pixie cut hair and wrinkles in the corner of her blue eyes to prove she had raised those two children into teenagers. She sat relaxed at the table wearing her pink robe and fuzzy slippers Astrid had given her a few years ago for Christmas.

Astrid's dad, Bo Hofferson, was a tall man with a square cut chin and strong jaw. His hair was a darker brown, and he wore a pair of smart, dark rimmed glasses. He'd always been a tough as nails, no nonsense sort of parent.

Astrid grabbed a whole wheat bagel from the bread basket and set to work spreading some low fat cream cheese. She sat with her parents while she nibbled at her breakfast.

"So, sweetheart," Astrid's mom began, "We hate to keep bugging you on this, but have you decided on a college yet?"

Astrid could feel panic and frustration replacing her feelings of hunger from just a moment ago. She swallowed her bite of bagel before answering. "Not yet." She began to pick at her bagel. She really hoped they would just drop it.

"Astrid, you have to stop screwing around. This is important!" Her father stated firmly, putting down the magazine he was reading.

"I KNOW!" She replied, standing up from the table, appetite completely gone. 'I have some homework to do, I'll be in my room."

When Astrid got back to her bedroom, she pulled out her drawer with her acceptance letters. She picked them up and ruffled through them for the millionth time. This time though, one letter stuck out to her more than the others: Columbia University.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000

"I can't believe you woke up with Astrid! I mean, Hiccup… it's Astrid!" Fishlegs was gushing to Hiccup as they sat in his basement playing Call of Duty.

"It's not that big of a deal, Fish." Hiccup replied. "She needed a place to crash, I was just convenient."

Fishlegs put down the controller as they came to a save point. "Ok, well, you went to your first high school party. You have to tell me all about it. You know, for science." Fishlegs pulled out his notebook, ready to write down anything Hiccup had to say.

Hiccup sighed. "I can't believe you talked me into doing this." He rubbed his hand across his forehead, bringing his fingers back through his hair. "You would have hated it, I'm sure."

"Probably." Fishlegs had opened the first page of his notebook and written "party" on top. "But at least now you can say you've done it, right? It's an experience!"

"Yeah, but not all experiences are good ones." Hiccup sighed. "You aren't going to let it go, are you?"

"Nope! Now tell me about it. Well, what you can remember anyway." Fishlegs snorted, remembered Hiccup's inebriated state Friday night when he'd helped him home.

So Hiccup filled Fishlegs in on as many details as he could remember, Fishlegs writing quickly and with precision in his notebook. Hiccup told him about all the different couples hooking up all around the house, the booze, and everyone pretending to accept him just because he was with Astrid. It was all pretty typical stuff, nothing ground breaking.

"Observation is the key to science." Fishlegs commented as he finished up writing down Hiccup's information. Now to organize what you have observed into categories.

"I hate to break this to you, Fishlegs, but I don't think it takes scientific research to figure out that these people are shallow. They like drinking, having sex, fighting, and bad music."

Fishlegs tried to lighten the mood. "Well, even if you think this is dumb, you at least are getting to spend time with Astrid. I mean, isn't that a dream come true after the crush you have on her?"

"Had." Hiccup bit back. "I had a crush on her in Junior High." His eyes hardened on Fishlegs, challenging him to argue.

"Oh Hiccup, crushes don't just die! I mean, a small part of you must acknowledge that she's still your dream girl. I mean, look at your comic!"

"Coincidence!" Hiccup stammered, "I just like the name Astrid. Can we please drop it and go back to playing now?"

Fishlegs nodded and went back to the game, knowing when to shut up.

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Monday morning felt weird for Hiccup. It was the same building he had entered for nearly 4 years. The bricks of the walls were the same, the red lockers that lined the hallways were the same, but something was clearly different.

As he walked down the familiar hall to his locker, messenger bag swung over his shoulder and eyes at the ground like usual, he was surprised when he was actually greeted by several people on his walk.

Eric was one of the first people to greet him. It was simple, just a head nod and "Hey man." As they walked in opposite directions. Hiccup nodded his head back and continued on his way. This happened several other times with various people he had talked to at the party. Perplexed, Hiccup continued to his locker. As he gathered the books he would need for his morning classes, he shook his head. He really thought once he got to school, he would go back to being a nobody, like Friday night hadn't happened at all.

The change was subtle, anyone else probably wouldn't have even noticed, but to Hiccup, it was remarkable. He didn't understand how simply going to a party with Astrid would make him suddenly visible in the school. His goal was to go under the radar his last few months, but between Fishlegs and Astrid, it didn't seem like he was going to succeed. The idea sent a wave of panic through Hiccup. There was a reason he wanted to stay under the radar, it kept him from getting hurt, picked on, or humiliated. The walls he fought so hard to build seemed to be under attack, and this was not something he was prepared for.

The biggest surprise of the day was in 2nd period when Heather sat next to him in class.

"Hey, Hiccup!" She greeted casually as if they were old friends. "Did you have fun at the party Friday? I didn't see you much after Astrid drug you away." She smiled as she brushed her dark hair out of her eyes.

"Oh, yeah." Hiccup stalled, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Yeah, it was fun… I guess."

"It's just so funny." Heather began thoughtfully. "I didn't know you and Astrid were even friendly, much less dating." Her green eyes settled on him intensely.

Hiccup fidgeted nervously in his seat. "Umm… uh.. Astrid and I are just friends, I mean, we aren't dating." He managed to stammer out. How could she presume that they were dating? How ridiculous is that?

"Oh, you aren't?" Heather crossed her arms and tapped her finger on her chin. "Very interesting. So that means you are single?"

Of course he was single! Was Heather trying to point out the obvious here, trying to make him feel bad? This is exactly why he didn't want this kind of attention. His gut wrenched a little bit just thinking about it.

"Uh… yeah. I guess you can say that." His jaw clenched as he said it, ready for her to make fun of him or make some kind of mean sarcastic remark.

Instead she just shrugged her shoulders, her eyes raking him up and down, a gesture Hiccup didn't recognize. "Hmmm, that's too bad." She winked at him and then class started. During class she kept glancing at him and it made him shift uncomfortably in his seat. After class she had flung her braid over her shoulder and winked at him with a "See you later."

Lunch got even more bizarre. Ruffnut and Tuffnut joined Astrid with him at lunch.

The three seemed very comfortable with each other, and Hiccup felt more like he was an observer in their conversation than a participant, but he was polite when spoken to.

"So Hiccup," Tuffnut began, trying to draw Hiccup into the conversation. "I heard you put Eret in his place a few times during the party?"

Hiccup flushed a little, looking down to pick at his food. "I don't know that I would say that…"

Tuffnut laughed. "Dude, it's cool. We're all friends with Eret but sometimes his ego gets to all of us. It's great to see him put in his place sometimes." He scratched at his chin for a moment before adding, "It's like David and Goliath, oh how the mighty can fall."

Ruffnut punched her brother in the arm. "Oh whatever. I think you've been smoking too much pot lately! You're losing brain cells!"

Tuff pretended to look hurt. "What? I thought it was a smart analogy myself?"

"Just go back to eating your food!" Ruff joked back with her brother.

"Hey, Tuffnut, you are into comic books, aren't you?" Astrid looked from Hiccup to Tuffnut while Tuff nodded his head.

"Yeah, it's just a hobby of mine, you know, besides being awesome." Tuff laughed as Ruffnut punched him again.

"Hiccup is really into comic books too, in fact, he has one that he made." Astrid winked at Hiccup as she spoke.

Hiccup winced, expecting the table to laugh at him.

"Hey man, that's pretty cool." Tuffnut replied. "Do you have it with you?"

Hiccup shook his head. "Nah, it's at home."

Tuff scoot his chair around to Hiccup and they started talking about comics. Tuff was only a part time enthusiast, but it turned out they had a lot to talk about.

00000000000000000000

Astrid was feeling pretty good about this small victory. She knew that Tuffnut liked comics, it was something that the gang gave him a hard time about, but only in fun. Plus, now that Tuff and Hiccup were talking, it would give Ruff and her a chance to talk too.

Ruff was eating her cheeseburger when Astrid decided to start the conversation. She had to clear the air.

"Hey, Ruff, about the party…"

Ruff put down her cheeseburger. "I know, I'm really sorry, Astrid. I don't know what came over me…"

Astrid put her hand up. "Listen, I know you've had a crush on Eret for a long time, I honestly don't hold any hard feelings for you, but I just don't want to see you get hurt."

Ruff shook her head. "I know you are worried about me getting hurt, but I'd like to think I know what I'm doing."

"What if Eret is just using you to hurt me?" Astrid asked, a little apprehension in her voice.

"What, you don't think Eret might actually like me for me?" Ruff's features hardened with indignation. "I mean, I know I'm not the perfect Astrid Hofferson, but I'd like to think I have a lot to offer!"

Astrid sighed. "I didn't mean it like that, Ruff. I just don't trust him. I mean, you know why he broke up with me? What if that's all he wants from you?"

Ruff shook her head. "Maybe I want that, too? Did you ever think of that? I'm not a prude like you."

Ouch. Astrid sat back in her chair at the insult. A prude? Did Ruffnut really think she was a prude? Just because she didn't want to have sex with Eret doesn't mean she didn't want to eventually have sex with someone, she just wasn't ready yet. Astrid kept quiet a moment, not sure what to say.

Ruff crossed her arms and looked down at her food. "Sorry."

"Just, be careful, ok?" Astrid didn't want to lose Ruffnut's friendship, not when the school year was coming to an end soon and they would likely drift apart anyway after college.

"Don't forget that Snotlout asked you to prom. Has Eret asked you to prom?" Astrid tried to remind her again about Snotlout. She thought they'd actually make a good couple, and didn't understand why she was so resistant to the idea.

"No, Eret hasn't asked me to the prom." Ruffnut said, picking at the French fries on her plate. "But I wouldn't go with Snotlout if he was the last man on earth!"

Astrid let it drop and went back to eating her salad. Tuff and Hiccup were talking excitedly about something to do with comic books. She was right to think they might get along. He was probably the most likely in their group to accept Hiccup. She just had to figure out how to get the rest of her group to accept him

She also couldn't help but notice that random people would give him nods of their head as they walked by. He seemed to have made some kind of impression at the party. She felt like her plan was really starting to fall into place.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I'm showing my age a little on this one. Enjoy!**

Astrid chewed on the end of her pencil as she sat on her bed, mind racing at the speed of light. Spread around her was a multitude of responsibilities laid out in black and white. Everything in front of her represented a decision she would have to make or work she needed to do.

To her left, she had all the college acceptance letters. That will be the hardest part. She sat cross legged on her bed with her notebook in her hand. She had written out and analyzed every pro and con to every school, and yet she was no closer than she had ever been on making this decision. She had until the end of May before she had to send in her final acceptance, but this was coming up faster and faster. None of them stood out, and they were all good schools. She was really leaning towards the East Coast and getting out of the miserable mid-west of Minnesota.

She tapped her pencil against her notebook again, closing her eyes and trying to visualize her college years. Where can she imagine herself? She had dragged her parents to all of these schools for preview, and she knew they were getting anxious to know her decision, as much as she was. She picked up the letters and shuffled through them again. Cornell University, Harvard, Yale, Columbia…. She stopped to gaze at Columbia again. She knew the only reason it kept catching her attention is because Hiccup said that was where he was going. She shook her head. She couldn't choose a school just because someone else she knew was going there.

Beginning to feel herself get frustrated, she decided to put the college stuff away for now and focus on the other piles on her bed. The next pile wasn't quite as serious, it was a catalogue with the newest prom dresses at the local boutique. She knew she had to find the perfect dress for prom night. Something that suited her more classic style, but still set her apart from the rest.

She was absently flipping through the pages when she heard her phone buzz.

H: Hey Astrid

A: Hey, how's it going?  
>H: Do you ever watch dumb shows just because they are so ridiculous?<p>

Astrid thought for a moment, wondering what Hiccup might be getting at.

A: No, why?

H: They are doing a "Flavor of Love" Marathon on VH1 and it's hilarious.

Astrid giggled to herself a moment before reaching for the remote on her nightstand and flipping on the TV to VH1. Sure enough, there was Flavor Flav and all the ladies competing to date him.

A: OMG, this is so dumb!

H: I know, right?

A: Do you always search the channels for the dumbest thing you can find?

H: Ha, yeah, call it a hidden talent.

Astrid sat, watching the silly show along with Hiccup, exchanging random texts making fun of it. She glanced at the other piles on her bed. Homework that wasn't due for a few more days, the beginnings of a research paper that wasn't due until the end of the semester, she decided to put them all away for now. She wasn't normally one to put things off, but there was something deeply relaxing about her current activity, and definitely far more enjoyable.

When that episode was over, Hiccup texted to direct her to another TV show. This one was a reality show about ice truckers. She shook her head wondering how these channels could come up with such silly things. They continued to text all evening.

Astrid fell asleep that night with her phone still in her hands, subconsciously hugging it to her chest.

Thursday night rolled around pretty fast this week. Astrid was early to Fishlegs' house. Fishlegs and Hiccup had basically extended her an open invitation for Halo night for the foreseeable future. Fishlegs was walking around the basement, putting things away and arranging things. Astrid sat comfortably on the couch talking casually with him while they waited for Hiccup.

"Hey, Fishlegs, I was going to invite Hiccup to Karaoke with my friends Saturday night, you are more than welcome to come along too, if you want." She didn't want Fishlegs to feel left out, she was starting to genuinely like his company, but then again Astrid was usually able to get along with anyone. Fishlegs kind of reminded her of a gentle giant. He was huge but quiet and he had really kind eyes.

"Oh, what, me? No, no thank you." Fishlegs stammered as he finished up the last of his cleaning around the basement.

"Why not?" Astrid asked, twisting to face him behind her.

"Oh, it's just… it's not my crowd." He stammered, fidgeting in his spot.

"It's not really Hiccup's crowd either but I'm dragging him with me anyway. I think it's good to try new things, don't you?" Astrid's eyes twinkled a little as she tried to talk Fishlegs into joining.

"Ha, no, really Astrid. Thanks for the invite, but no thanks."

"What invite?" a third voice came from the stairwell.

Astrid felt her heart leap up into her throat. She caught herself hugging her chest in surprise. "Oh, hey Hiccup, you scared me!" She smiled.

"Hey Astrid, Hey Legs." Hiccup casually greeted as he sat on the couch next to Astrid. "So what invite?"

"Yep, I was just telling Fishlegs that I was planning on inviting you to come to karaoke night with my friends Saturday night. I invited him too but he's being a party pooper." Astrid stuck her tongue out teasingly at Fish behind her.

"Karaoke? Are you serious?" Hiccup's looked at her with horror. "I gotta tell you, that sounds awful!"

"No, it's great! There it this bar downtown that does karaoke one Saturday a month that is open to 18+ with free sodas. We have a blast!"

"Like the last time you took me somewhere that was supposed to be so much fun?" Hiccup looked at her miserably, running his fingers through his hair nervously.

"Well, the good news is, Eret won't be there. He was never a big fan of our Karaoke nights." Astrid shook her head, thinking about all the times she tried to take him but he downright refused. When Hiccup still hesitated, she continued, "Tuff will be there, you two seem to be getting along ok, right?"

Hiccup shook his head, a small smile starting to pull at the corner of his lip. "You aren't going to let it go until I agree, are you?"

"Nope!" Astrid smiled, giving him a small punch in the arm.

"Alright guys, are we ready for the game?" Fishlegs plopped himself next to Hiccup on the other side of the couch as he turned on the tv.

"Oh yeah, I'm ready for my re-match!" Hiccup laughed as Fish handed him his controller.

Fishlegs handed Hiccup the third controller to pass to Astrid. When he went to hand it to Astrid, she reached for it but as Hiccup let go of it, it slipped right through their hands and landed on the floor in front of the couch.

"Oh, Sorry Astrid, let me…."

"Whoops, I got it…."

Both Astrid and Hiccup reached down for the controller at once and painfully bumped heads on the way down. Both of them brought their hands immediately up to their foreheads, wincing in pain.

"OW!" they both said simultaneously. Astrid had managed to grab the controller and set it in her lap as they both sat back up.

"Oh man, I'm sorry, Astrid!" Hiccup winced as he held his own head, looking at Astrid with concern, "Are you ok?"

Astrid laughed while rubbing at her forehead just at her hairline. "I'm fine!"

Hiccup shook his head. "I'm sorry, I'm such a klutz." Hiccup was always so hard on himself, she needed to break him of that.

"No, Hiccup, this time I think I was the klutz." She smiled as the mild throbbing in her head was starting to ebb.

The three settled into a night of gaming. As dumb as this video game stuff was, Astrid couldn't help but realize just how much she was enjoying herself in Hiccup's company.

0000000000000000000000000000000

H: I can't believe you talked me into this.

A: I can be very persuasive

H: Why is that?

A: Because you secretly love hanging out with me.

H: It's not you I'm worried about.

A: Hic, it'll be fine. And Eret won't be there, I confirmed with Ruffnut.

A: We can both breathe a little easier, right?

H: Fine, you won already!

A: You know it! Be there in a few

Hiccup leaned back on the couch of his living room, running his hands over his face for the 5th time since he sat down. Going out to karaoke night with Astrid's friends did not sound like his idea of a good time. He couldn't deny that he enjoyed hanging out with Astrid, though, much to his own bemusement. He guessed old crushes did die hard. Hiccup couldn't think about that right now. He had already told himself he wouldn't get caught up in Astrid again, even if she was a ton of fun to hang around… and even if her hair looked as soft as golden silk weaved into a braid around her shoulder. His mind started wandering from her hair down to her lips, imagining her in his arms. Hiccup shook his head. That would be enough of that. For the millionth time in the past two weeks, he reminded himself that he would never be anything but friends with Astrid Hofferson.

It had been an extremely weird week. He had gained some kind of odd notoriety among the underdogs of the school for standing up to Eret at the party, although he feared the details of his heroics were severely exaggerated. He'd been baffled when some guys from the math team had approached him and asked if Hiccup had really punched Eret in the face, knocking him out in one hit. He had laughed and straightened out the story. The last thing he needs are rumors flying around the school. Besides, he did not want to be on Eret's bad side, he was the last person he wanted to hear the ridiculous rumors. He was on thin ice with him as it was. He knew the fact that Astrid was spending so much time with him must have been a sore spot of some kind. He wasn't really clear on the details of why he and Astrid broke up, but he was sure it wasn't pretty.

A soft knock on the door pulled Hiccup from his thoughts. He sighed as he got up from the couch and walked over to the door. He opened it slowly and crossed his arms at Astrid on his doorstep.

"You owe me big for this." He replied, as he stood there wearing yet more clothes that Astrid had picked out for him. She still insisted on the leather jacket, but now he wore a darker pair of jeans and a white v neck shirt.

Astrid eyed him up and down, a smile spreading on her face, probably congratulating herself again on her fashion sense. "Did you have something in mind?" She teased.

Hiccup shuffled his feet nervously at what could easily be misinterpreted as flirting, if he didn't know any better. "Uh, not right off hand, but I'll think of something."

"Well, ready?" Astrid gestured to her car and Hiccup nodded.

The car ride to the bar felt a little tense. Hiccup set to work right away with the music again. It gave him something to concentrate on so that he wasn't distracted by the skirt Astrid was wearing. It kept creeping up her thigh ever so slightly as she drove, and he found himself needing to pull his wandering eyes away. It made him feel like a creep because it was giving him thoughts that made him ashamed to look her in the eye. He used every strategy in his arsenal to keep his attention on anything but the toned muscle of her thigh, and the soft curve of her mouth as she made idle chat with him along the way.

"I think you might actually have fun, Hiccup." Astrid smiled thinking about all the fun that she and Ruffnut had. "We don't take karaoke seriously at all, like some people do. We basically just pick the wildest songs we can think of and make fools of ourselves."

Hiccup shook his head. The last thing he needed to do in this crowd was make a fool of himself. No, he decided it would be best, as usual, to try to stay under the radar as much as he could.

"Oh, and just a warning, Snotlout always sneaks in some alcohol, he'll likely try to get you to add it to your soda. Its ok to say no, I always do." Astrid swept her bangs from her eyes as she spoke. "Most of us don't want to risk getting kicked out. He usually respects that."

"Good to know." Hiccup responded, lips pressing into a thin line. Her friendly advice wasn't really making him feel any more secure.

Once they arrived at the bar, Astrid and Hiccup went to the entrance and had their ID's checked. They were given bracelets to signify their underage status. The building was standard in the downtown area, connected to other storefronts along the street. A large neon sign signified that the Bar's name was 'The Mead Hall'. Interesting name for a bar. When they got inside, the bar had an older look, thick wood beams throughout with a dark wood wrap around bar and several heavy tables arranged neatly. Astrid took Hiccup by the hand and let him to their group. They were the last ones to arrive.

"Fashionably late, as always, huh Astrid?" Snotlout greeted them as they came in. "And you brought Hiccup again?"

"Yep, and you better get used to it!" Astrid challenged Snotlout by eyeing him.

"No worries from me guys," Snotlout laughed. "We're just glad he put Eret in his place. Man, sometimes that guy really bugs me."

Snotlout's comment intrigued Hiccup. He hadn't really thought about it, but Snotlout used to be kind of the top dog at the school until Eret moved to town their junior year. It had never occurred to him that maybe he might harbor a little jealously.

"Astrid! I already put in a request for us!" Ruffnut laughed as she made her way over to the pair.

"Oh no! What did you sign us up for!" Astrid laughed, settling in easily with her group of friends.

"It's a surprise!" Ruffnut laughed as she gestured for them to follow her to the table.

They hadn't been sitting there long when the DJ announced Ruff and Astrid to the stage.

"Aaaaand now, Ruffnut and Astrid, can you come to the stage!"

Hiccup turned to look at what was being called a stage. Really, it was just a spot at the front of the bar that was only slightly elevated from the rest. There were a couple of bar stools set up with microphones and a small flat screen TV facing the singers with the words. The DJ was a large, middle age man with sideburns and way too many rings on his fingers, like he was trying to relive the disco ages.

"oooooo! That's us! Let's go!" Ruffnut grabbed Astrid and dragged her to the stage, Astrid giving Hiccup an apologetic smile as the followed Ruff to the front.

A familiar upbeat 80's tune began to play through the speakers. Hiccup immediately recognized it.

_I come home in the morning light_

_My mother says when you gonna live your life right, _

_Well momma dear we're not the fortunate ones, _

_And girls, they wanna have fun!_

The two girl's voices sang out the words between laughs and giggles only a little off key. Snotlout and Tuffnut began to clap to the beat, and Hiccup decided to join in. When the song was done, Ruff gave an exaggerated bow and Astrid threw her head back and laughed. The two made their way back to the table amidst applause from the rest of the bar, which was only about half full.

When the two made it back, Astrid punched Hiccup playfully in the arm. "See, I told you, we definitely don't take it seriously."

"Hey guys, have I missed anything?" Heather walked up next to Hiccup and smiled.

"Hey, Heather, glad you could make it!" Ruffnut greeted. "We weren't sure if you could."

"Yeah, I had to juggle some things around, but I made it!" Heather's smile at Hiccup was a bit unnerving. He felt there was something under that smile that he just couldn't quite understand. Anytime he was around her he got a bad feeling, like she might be a source of great misery, but at the same time she was so alluring that Hiccup couldn't help to at least be a little bit attracted to her. He wondered if there was something to the idea of danger being sexy.

The group sat comfortably for a while, chatting amongst each other. Tuffnut got up at one point and did a hair-raisingly terrifying rendition of "Baby got back" which left the group in tears. Tuffnut was definitely the group cut up, this much Hiccup was figuring out. The dance he did while singing was definitely disturbing as well, sending the entire bar into a fit of hysterics.

Snotlout just sat and laughed, he never got up to sing a song. It wasn't an hour into the night before he offered Hiccup a little liquor from his flask for his drink. Hiccup politely declined and Snot only shook his head before adding it to his own drink. He couldn't help but notice Snotlout eyeing Ruffnut particularly hard most of the night.

Astrid and Ruffnut went up a few more times singing some more songs about girl power. They managed a few Katy Perry songs and Taylor Swift's "22".

"So, Hiccup, are you going to get up and sing a song?" Heather asked, batting her eyelashes from her seat next to him.

"Nah, Hiccup? Are you kidding?" Snotlout laughed. "He's not bold enough to do anything like that." Hiccup eyed Snotlout hard while he took a drink of his soda. "Oh, no offence, Hiccup. I've just seen you around school enough to know you are more of a wallflower, that's all." Snot tried to cover up, but Astrid was giving him a look that could definitely kill. Hiccup swallowed hard and hoped he'd never be on the receiving end of that look.

Being called out by Snotlout had a bit of a mixed effect on Hiccup. On one hand, he wanted nothing more than to continue to sit and basically just be a fly on the wall of this get together, but Snotlout's words rang in Hiccup's ears and began to sound more like a challenge. He looked from left to right, scanning the faces of the group as they looked at him for his reaction.

He felt a new resolve taking over. _Fine, if these guys don't think I'm capable of being anything other than a nobody, I will just have to prove them wrong._ Hiccup thought to himself. He wordlessly stood up from the table.

Astrid's jaw dropped, mouth gaping open as she watched him. Heather smirked a little to herself and made a face at Snotlout. Tuffnut's eyes grew large in surprise, and Ruffnut and Snotlout simply had a look of bewilderment on their faces. He turned and made his way to the front DJ booth, willing himself to keep his shoulders straight and his head up.

He talked to the DJ, and he only laughed and nodded.

"Alright, our next victim of the night is Hiccup! Let's hear it!"

Hiccup stood up on the 'stage' and looked out at the people watching him. He was thanking god that the bar was only about half full, maybe a little less as a few groups from earlier had already left. He looked at the group of kids he'd come with. The kids who'd tortured him, looked down on him, spat on him. He was doing this to prove to them that they were no better than him. He took the microphone from the DJ and brought it to his mouth, clearing his throat and fighting back his stage fright.

The music started, he knew he didn't have much of an introduction. He took a deep breath with the beats of the drum before jumping right in. He knew these words, he'd sang them all the time for fun and had managed to memorize them, which was no easy feat. He turned away from the karaoke prompter and just went by heart.

_That's great, it starts with an earthquake_

_Birds and snakes, an aeroplane, and Lenny Bruce is not afraid_

_Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn_

_World serves its own needs, don't misserve your own needs_

_Feed it up a knock, speed, grunt, no, strength_

_The ladder starts to clatter with a fear of height, down, height_

_Wire in a fire, represent the seven games_

_And a government for hire and a combat site_

_Left her, wasn't coming in a hurry with the Furies breathing down your neck_

The entire bar was quiet for a moment, clearly impressed. But as he neared the chorus, many of them had joined in, and many people were also clapping with the beat.

_It's the end of the world as we know it_

_It's the end of the world as we know it_

_It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine_

By the end of the song Hiccup had fed off the energy of the crowd and was pointing the microphone to the other patrons for the chorus and clapping along himself. When the song ended, the bar erupted into a fit of laughter and applause. Hiccup laughed as he handed the microphone back to the DJ.

"Hey man, good job!" The DJ winked as Hiccup made his way back to the group.

"Hiccup! That was amazing!" Astrid laughed. "How the heck do you even know all those words?"

"Not bad, my friend." Tuffnut nodded his head. "I might have some stiff competition here."

Hiccup laughed. "Ha, I don't think so, I could never compare to your dance moves." The group laughed.

Astrid shook her head and excused herself to the bathroom, leaving Hiccup alone with the gang. He went back to feeling uncomfortable, but at least now he felt maybe he had their respect, even if just a little bit. The gang went back to talking amongst themselves, but he noticed more of them looking his way while they talked now, instead of just ignoring him.

Heather took this opportunity to slide her chair next to him. She wrapped her arm through his. "So Hiccup, what other secret talents do you have that we don't know about yet?" She smiled up at him, her eyes looked a little hazy, like maybe she had taken Snotlout up on his offer of liquor in her drink.

Hiccup cleared his throat nervously and shuffled his feet under the table. "Oh, you know, just the usual, I guess." His arm stiffened where Heather's arm touched his. She was so close he could smell her perfume. It was a sandalwood smell with just a hint of flowery undertones. It made Hiccup blush just slightly when he realized this.

She giggled and laid a hand on his chest. "I don't know, Haddock. So far you've been full of surprises. Maybe one day Astrid will wake up and realize what she has. I know if you were with me, I wouldn't let you slip through my fingers."

Heather was being so confusing. She keeps bringing up Astrid as though they had some kind of romantic connection. He thought it was plain as day that the two of them would never be a couple. He didn't understand why she felt the need to constantly point it out. It almost made him miss the second part she said. Almost. He had begun to protest her words, "Heather for the last time… wait, what?"

"You heard me." She said as she slid her hand down to his fingers, weaving them through his palm until their hands were locked. Hiccup felt all the heat rush to his face from embarrassment.

"Uh, Heather? What're you…"

The sound of footsteps behind them made Heather drop his hand and scoot quickly back to her original spot, winking at him as she slid. "Don't worry, I won't tell Astrid," was all she said.

Wouldn't tell Astrid? Wouldn't tell Astrid what? Heather was definitely dangerous. A danger that he didn't think he could handle, that he didn't want to handle. As Astrid took her seat on the other side of Hiccup, he glanced at his watch and saw it was about 11pm.

"Hey, Astrid, would you mind calling it a night? Or I can call Fishlegs for a ride if you want to stay."

Ruff looked at her watch. "11pm! Oh man, come on Tuff, Mom's going to kill us!" She stood up and grabbed Tuffnut by his blonde dreads.

"Hey, sorry guys, mom wants us home by 11:30 tonight. Gotta run!" Tuff made his apologies as they ran out.

Snot faked a yawn and stretch, watching Ruffnut as she went. "Yeah guys, I think I'm going to call it a night, too." Hiccup wondered if he was always so obvious about his crush on Ruffnut, or if he was just extra perceptive to it.

"Oh, darn. Well, if everyone's leaving, I guess I'll go too." Heather smiled.

The group dispersed to their cars, Hiccup joining Astrid at hers. As they drove home, Hiccup forgot about plugging his phone into the stereo with his normal DJ duties, because he and Astrid spent the whole ride home laughing about the events of the night. What Heather said was still weighing on Hiccup's mind, and he thought to ask Astrid about it, but something was telling him not too, so he tried to just ignore it.

When they got to Hiccup's house, Astrid got out of the car and walked with Hiccup to his door.

"Did you want to come inside for a cup of coffee or something?" Hiccup asked as he slid his key in the door.

Astrid sighed. "I'd love to, but I gotta get home. I have a lot of homework to do tomorrow so I better get some sleep."

Hiccup looked around, feeling a little awkward with Astrid standing with him at his door. "Why do I feel like a chick being dropped off from a date right now?"

Astrid laughed. "Oh, I guess that would make me the guy?" She puffed out her chest and lowered her brow. With a lowered voice, she punched Hiccup in the arm and said, "So… I had a great time tonight."

Hiccup laughed and tried to awkwardly play along. He said back with his best girly voice, "Call me!"

"Astrid giggled, breaking character, but quickly went back to her manly posture. "Yeah, whatever."

The two laughed and Astrid closed the gap between them and put her arms up around his neck and hugged him. "No seriously, it was a lot of fun. I hope you had fun with my friends, too?"

Hiccup laughed as he let himself hug Astrid back. "Yeah, I guess I did."

"See, they aren't so bad. I feel like I'm making real progress, bridging the gap between our worlds, don't you think?"

Astrid was looking up at Hiccup. Her eyes were shining in the moonlight, and seemed to be full of something Hiccup hadn't expected: Hope. But what was she hoping for? Her endgame was still a mystery to Hiccup, and he couldn't forget that. But for a split second, he let himself entertain the idea that maybe the hope in her eyes was for him.

He couldn't say no to those eyes, he was under their spell. He simply nodded his head and replied with, "Yeah, they aren't so bad." When he said 'they', he was really referring to her.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Sorry this one took a bit- Lots of stuff going on with Christmas. As usual thanks to my Beta, Foxes-rocks, for proofreading for me. I know from reviews some of you are getting a little anxious for some Hiccstrid fluffy times. Slow burn fic is slow, and it hurts me as much as it hurts you... lol. But we are getting there... but it hurts so good... right? **

"So, how was Karaoke night?" Fishlegs laughed as the pair sat in Hiccup's bedroom, finalizing some of the details for their Comic-con booth.

Hiccup ran his hands through his hair. He'd spent the last 30 minutes reading the small print in the comic-con vendor rules brochure to familiarize himself for their big weekend. The transition from the small print to Fishlegs across his room made him blink his eyes several times, rubbing them tiredly.

"It actually….it wasn't terrible." Hiccup admitted, laughing a little at himself. "As much as I hate to say it."

The truth was, his mind had been wandering back to last night so often that he was barely thinking of anything else. Not only was he thinking of the rush of adrenaline that he got from taking the mike in front of the bar, and the hint of pride he felt as he received compliments on the way back to his table from the stage, but he kept thinking about how lovely Astrid looked up there with Ruff.

There was something about seeing her on stage, the smile she wore seemed to light up her whole face, and anytime she would collapse into a fit of giggles, he could feel something in his chest tighten. The truth was, he couldn't take his eyes off of her all night.

"Hiccup?" Fishlegs' voice pulled Hiccup out of his daydream, and he realized he had a huge goofy grin spread across his face.

"Oh, uh... sorry, I was just…" Hiccup could feel the heat of embarrassment crawling up his neck as he stammered for an excuse.

"You like her, just admit it." Fishlegs shook his head with a smile on his face. "She's always been your dream girl, its ok to let yourself like her."

Hiccup shook his head. "That's not it at all. I'm just... having fun. That's all."

Fishlegs shook his head again. "Hey, whatever you have to tell yourself man. Speaking of last night, though…" Fishlegs' voice trailed as he pulled out his other notebook. "…For science, remember?" He wiggled the notebook in the air as a reminder.

Hiccup sighed and rest his head back in his hands. "You'll never let that go, will you?"

"Hey, the study of social psychological constructs is very big in college these days. This kind of thing could really help me get into a good science track." Fishlegs opened his notebook and posed his pen on the paper. "So any interesting observations this time?"

Hiccup sighed, defeated, and told him about his suspicion that Snotlout had a crush on Ruffnut. Fishlegs wrote furiously, asking questions about his observations of this and how he came to this conclusion. He told him about Snotlout sneaking alcohol into the bar, and lastly, he told him about Heather.

When Hiccup finished up what had happened with Heather, Fishlegs set down his notebook and gaped at Hiccup, mouth wide. "WHAT! How are you just now telling me about this?"

Hiccup shrugged. "I don't know, I'm trying to forget it, to be honest."

"Amazing." Fishlegs shook his head. "You have Astrid AND Heather now?"

"Excuse me, in what universe do I have Astrid? ….And Heather?" Hiccup snapped. He calmed himself a little when Fishlegs blinked at him in surprise. He rubbed his face in exhaustion before continuing in a calmer tone, "I don't know. There is something about her that makes me very uncomfortable. I mean, of course she's hot. She's downright sexy, in fact. But I have a really bad feeling about her. As suspicious as I am about Astrid, multiply that by about 10 for Heather." Hiccup dismissed the subject with a wave of his hand.

"This is getting really interesting, Hiccup." Fishlegs laughed. "Just think, two weeks ago you'd barely spoken to most of these people, and now you have Heather of all people hitting on you so openly."

"Yeah, I'd rather not talk about it."

Even though he had no reason to hide what had happened with Heather, somewhere deep inside him still knew he shouldn't share this with Astrid. He couldn't pinpoint exactly why, but he had a feeling that it would cause unnecessary drama in which he did not want to partake.

It was then that his phone buzzed with a text. He tried to hide a smile as he pulled his phone out of his pocket to see a text from Astrid.

A: Had fun last night!

He quickly texted her back.

H: Me too.

Fishlegs eyed him. "How long have you and Astrid been texting?"

Hiccup shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, since last week I guess."

"Uh huh…" was all Fishlegs said while wearing a smirk, before changing the subject back to the issues at hand.

000000000000000000000000000

Ruffnut was sprawled across Astrid's bed, picking at the little fibers that were coming loose in spots on her comforter, chin propped up on her other hand.

"Man, Astrid, just a few weeks ago I thought there was no way you could turn Hiccup into prom king in 6 weeks, and here you are just starting the 3rd week and you might actually have a chance." Ruffnut shook her head in disbelief. "I mean, 2 weeks ago he was nobody! It's unbelievable."

Astrid sat at her desk chair facing Ruffnut while browsing through another dress catalogue. "I'm not surprised. I told you I could make anyone popular." Astrid's lips started to twist involuntarily into a smile as she browsed the dress collection.

"Wait, I know that look!" Ruffnut sat up on Astrid's bed, eyes growing rounder. "Astrid! How long did you think you could hide it from me?" Ruff's lower lip stuck out in a pout as she crossed her arms at her chest.

"What? What are you talking about?" Astrid set the brochure on her lap to give her friend her full attention.

"Hiccup!" She shook her head in disbelief. "You like him! This isn't just a bet anymore, is it?"

Astrid swallowed hard as the weight of Ruffnut's words slammed into her chest. Sure, she was starting to really enjoy his company, but to like him in a romantic way as Ruffnut was suggesting? Surely it was out of the question!

Or was it?

Astrid's mind ran over the events of the last few weeks. Sure, she enjoyed Hiccup's company. She'd also caught herself admiring the way he looked after she cleaned him up a little bit, but the more she thought about it, she didn't really change his appearance that much. She also got excited anytime they exchanged text messages, but that doesn't mean anything, right?

After pausing for way longer than what was acceptable, Astrid shook her head at Ruff. "No, no, nothing like that. I mean, yes, I like Hiccup, but not… you know, in a romantic way."

Ruff stared at her hard for a minute, eyes narrowing. "Oh come on, it is all making sense now! The way you've been acting lately? At first I thought it was just because you weren't over Eret, and then maybe I thought you were just getting caught up in the bet, but all the signs point in the same direction. You are falling in love with Hiccup!" Ruff laughed as she hugged herself in congratulations of her observation.

Astrid shook her head again. "No, I mean, what do you mean how I've been acting?"

"I don't know." Ruffnut shrugged. "You've seemed a little distant from us lately. It's like… anytime you are with us, your head is somewhere else, or up in the clouds. But last night when Hiccup was with us, you were acting normal again. It's obvious to me now."

Astrid could feel panic gripping at her heart. Was she falling for Hiccup? If it was this obvious to Ruffnut, was it obvious to anyone else? Astrid swallowed hard, unable to process the information that Ruffnut had so casually blurted out.

She shook her head again, her hands starting to clench at her sides. "No, Ruff, no one is falling in love here, got it?" She stared her friend down hard.

Ruffnut put up her hands in defense. "Alright, I got it. But Astrid, if you are starting to have feeling for Hiccup, we can end the bet. I mean, as much as I would love winning $50 bucks, I'm not completely heartless…." Ruff's voice trailed a bit.

"No… the bet is still going strong." Astrid defiantly replied. She turned to her catalogue as though to close the matter. "Besides, I do believe I am winning."

There was a buzz in the halls of Berk High School that Monday morning. During morning announcements they would be revealing the nominations for prom king and queen. The senior class had all last week to submit their nominations, and the top 5 girls and top 5 guys would be the official candidates. Astrid had been secretly talking to all the underdogs of the school, bragging about Hiccup and how he had stood up to Eret. She may have stretched the truth a little, but nothing too out of the ordinary. Besides, she knew how rumors went, they would stretch themselves out anyway.

There were dozens of girls and guys that were hoping to make it on the nomination list. Astrid sat in first period, tapping her pencil on her desk and leaning in towards the TV. She had nothing to be nervous for, of course, but she wanted to see if Hiccup would at least be nominated. This was her moment of truth.

Finally, the bell rang signifying the beginning of first period and the TVs switched on. Heather and Tuffnut made an attractive pair on the screen as the official news anchors of the school. They went through all the usual morning announcements as always, but then it came for the prom court nominees.

Heather looked at the camera and shuffled her papers. "…And now Vikings, the moment you've all been waiting for! It's time to announce the nominees for prom king and queen! As you all know, nominations were sent in all last week, and the results have been tallied, and we have the top 5! The official voting will happen the Friday before Prom, and winners will be announced at the dance!"

"Alright, Heather, let's not torture them anymore! I have the list of lucky ladies here in my hand!" He dramatically pulled the paper up to read, making a goofy face at the camera. "…And the Prom Queen nominees are: Astrid Hofferson, Ruffnut Thorston, Heather Jones, (he winked at Heather as he read her name) Brittany Davison, and Michelle Johnson! Congrats ladies and good luck!"

Heather smiled at the camera and blushed, "Thank you for the nomination! Girls, good luck!"

She picked up her own piece of paper and cleared her throat, "…and I have the list of nominees for Prom King! Eret Eretson, Snotlout Jorgenson, Tuffnut Thorston, Eric Hendrickson, and… " there was a long pause as Heather read from the paper, looking up to the camera and back down to read it, as if in disbelief, "…Hiccup Haddock!" Heather winked into the camera.

The two continued their morning banter through the news, but Astrid had stopped listening. She had done it! She had gotten Hiccup nominated for Prom King! Now, she just had to make sure he had votes, and she was sure he wouldn't want to put much effort in himself. Besides, she knew he deserved it more than anyone. He had more ambition and talent than anyone else on the list, and he should be recognized. Astrid was on cloud nine, patting herself on the back for a job well done.

000000000000000000000000000000

"….and Hiccup Haddock!"

Hiccup had been concentrating on sketching in his notebook in first period during morning announcements, not expecting anything unusual, and only half paying attention to the tv. He had smiled just briefly when he'd heard Astrid's name called, but everyone knew she would be voted Prom Queen, and the more he got to know her, the more he thought she deserved it as well.

He almost didn't even hear it, but when he did, he felt like a truck had just barreled through his class honking the horn, laying him flat on his back. His heart began to pound and he could feel the blood rushing to the surface of his skin, making him feel hot and sweaty. Surely, this was a mistake. It HAD to be a mistake.

It was a prank, surely. Tomorrow they would make announcements and retract the whole thing. Who would nominate Hiccup for Prom King? This was definitely not part of Hiccup's plan to fly under the radar. Just the fact that his name was announced was enough to make him want to vomit.

In fact, yes, Hiccup was feeling a little green. His stomach did a familiar lurch and he could taste the bile coming up to his throat. Kids had started to turn around, to congratulate him, but all he could do was bring a hand to his mouth and run out the door, finding the nearest trash can in the hall. He launched himself into it and heaved the contents of his breakfast into the receptacle, knuckles turning white from their grip on the rim.

When he was finished, he found the nearest bathroom which was quite a ways down the hall. He took a few drinks from the water fountain and went to the sink to wash his hands. He cupped the water in his hands and splashed a little of the cold water on his face, trying to relieve the burn that it felt. He sat there hunched over the sink trying to slow his breathing. Is this what a panic attack feels like?

After several moments he finally started to feel normal. He no longer felt hot and his breathing had calmed. He looked at himself in the mirror and shook his head. What was happening to him? It was like he had opened some imaginary door to the twilight zone.

When he arrived at his normal lunch table, he was surprised to see not only Astrid, Ruff, and Tuff already there, but Snotlout and Heather had joined as well. For a moment he panicked again. His eyes shifted over the cafeteria, wondering if he could find another empty table. He noticed Eret was sitting the gang's old table but was surrounded by football players instead. He finally spotted an empty table at the other end of the cafeteria. He looked back and forth between his normal table which was now filled with Astrid and her friends, and the empty table that represented peace. It was a place where he could sit alone with his thoughts and not have to answer a lot of chaotic questions.

He began to take a step towards the empty table, looking at it longingly, when he was spotted.

"Hiccup!" Astrid waved him over. "What are you doing? Come sit down!"

Hiccup sighed. He could feel his stomach churn just a little at the prospect of the crowded table after the morning he'd had, but Astrid's smile was so bright that he knew he couldn't deny her. He shuffled reluctantly toward the table and took one of the three remaining seats.

He'd only been sitting a minute, picking at his lunch, when someone came to the table with a camera.

"Hey, I'm with the school newspaper! Since you guys are all nominees for the prom court, can I get a picture?"

The group complied good-naturedly, and Hiccup ended up squeezed kind of in the middle between Astrid and Snotlout. Nope, not awkward at all. The girl took a couple of pictures before taking out a notebook and pen.

"Just for the interest of the story, you know, since the elections are prom king and queen, are any of you dating each other?"

There were a few awkward laughs and coughs. Hiccup looked around the table and saw Snotlout glancing in Ruffnut's direction, while Ruff seemed to be glancing back at Eret at their old table, Heather was looking between Hiccup and Astrid, and Tuffnut just laughed.

"Ha, yeah right!" He chuckled, which was enough to dismiss the girl and ease the tension at the table.

As the group spread back out around the table from their pose, Hiccup held his head in his hands. He did not like all this attention. It had been like this all morning, people walking up and wanting to talk to him.

"Are you ok, Hiccup?" Astrid asked, placing her hand on his shoulder, causing him to look up. He slid his hands down his face and just shook his head. "Aren't you excited you were nominated?" Astrid asked.

"Excited? Excited! You'd think I'd want this kind of attention?" Hiccup asked before burying his face in his hands again. "I don't even know how I got nominated!"

Astrid seemed a little taken back. The others at the table were too busy with their own conversations to notice them. "It's just… I thought… "

Hiccup's eyes snapped up to Astrid. "Did you do this?"

Astrid looked nervous, "well, I mean, it takes more than one nomination to end up a candidate, Hiccup. Yes, I nominated you, but I'm not the only one."

Hiccup shook his head. "I'm different than you Astrid. Dances and popularity, and votes… that's your thing, not mine."

Astrid looked down at the table and ran her hands across the smooth surface. "Are you mad?"

He couldn't look into Astrid's eyes. She looked genuinely concerned, and he didn't want to hurt her. He looked down at the table and clenched his jaw, willing himself to bury every mean and hurtful thing he could say. She'd been nothing but nice to him, there was no reason for him to be hateful to her now, especially since she didn't really understand what she had done.

"No." He said quietly. He took a deep breath as he traced the grains of wood in the table in front of him. "Besides, none of this matters anyway."

"What do you mean?" Astrid asked, peering up into his eyes, placing her hand innocently on his forearm.

Hiccup eyed her hand, feeling her bare skin on his bare skin. He tried to pretend it was nothing, but it was sending shockwaves through his body. He looked up at her and she had been glancing at their touch as well. For a second, he thought he saw something flicker behind her eyes, as though she'd felt it too.

He shook his head, composing himself. It was nothing. He was having a hard time thinking straight to be able to tell Astrid everything on his mind, so he responded with, "It doesn't matter, because I'm not going to win anyway." He didn't want to discuss it any further.

Astrid didn't know what to say. It hadn't occurred to her that Hiccup wouldn't want to be prom king. She had a few weeks to change his mind, and she was sure she could. Besides, when he was announced Prom King at the dance, he wouldn't refuse, right? But this is something she'd have to handle delicately, so she decided to drop it for now.

Astrid took her hand off Hiccup's forearm and the two were reabsorbed back into the conversation with the rest of the table.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: We are getting close to fluffy Hiccstrid moments, readers. This chapter was really emotional for me to write. I had to break them down a little in order to build them up. Let me know what you think? **

The weather was starting to warm up with the beginning of spring, but the nights could still be a little cold. Astrid hugged her sweater in around herself a little tighter, trying to chase away the trembling of her shoulders. Was the trembling from the cold, or from the chill she felt in her soul from the distance she now felt between her and Hiccup?

Astrid walked silently alongside Hiccup back to her house from their game night. The entire night had been a bit tense and awkward. She knew that Hiccup was still not happy with her for getting him nominated for Prom King. She had just never stopped to consider that he wouldn't want to be prom king. Didn't everyone want to be recognized? Didn't everyone want to win something?

She was beginning to understand just how different Hiccup was from her, but that difference fascinated her. She wanted to know more about the boy who she thought was so talented and humble. She wanted to find a way to bridge the gaps to their worlds.

He still offered to walk her home as usual, even though the evening had been tense. The night was quiet. The only sounds were the chirping of crickets and the low hum of the wind that was just cool enough to make her shiver. She glanced at her companion, seeing the moonlight bounce off of his freckled face. Had he always been this attractive? Or was the night playing a trick on her eyes?

Ruffnut was convinced that Astrid had romantic feelings for Hiccup, which she had vehemently denied. She couldn't help but think, though, if she didn't have feelings for Hiccup, then why did she care so much that there was this strain between them? Her heart leapt into her throat as she considered the possibility.

She started to speak a dozen times on the walk to her house, but the words just didn't come. What could she do or say so that Hiccup would forgive her for the nomination? How could she convince him that being nominated or even voted for prom king was a good thing? Maybe it was best not to talk directly about the issue. Maybe she needed to come at it from a different angle.

As Astrid and Hiccup walked up the front steps to her house, she turned to Hiccup and motioned to the swing hanging at the end of the porch.

"Hiccup, can we talk?" she asked, nervously hoping he would agree.

Hiccup shrugged his shoulders with his hands still in his pockets and walked towards the swing, taking a seat and hooking his arm around the chain. Astrid walked over and sat next to him. As soon as she sat, she realized just how close they were sitting. For a moment she felt a flutter in her chest, but quickly tried to swallow it down.

"Hiccup, why do you shut people out?" She finally blurted out. She might as well go all in. She wanted desperately to understand him.

Hiccup stared down at the ground, hard. His jaw clenched so hard that she could see the muscles in his face tighten. She hoped she wasn't pushing him too hard, but she felt like they needed to talk this out if they were going to get past the awkwardness of the last few days. She didn't want to lose Hiccup in her life now, not after having gotten to know him again.

"I wouldn't expect you to understand." He said finally, so quietly under his breath Astrid almost wondered if she had imagined it.

"Try me." She responded, folding her arms. When he didn't immediately respond, she continued, "Hiccup, you are my friend, and I just want to understand you better."

"I just don't want to get hurt, ok?" Hiccup blurted, bringing a hand up to his forehead, rubbing his brow.

"Why would you get hurt?"

"Because, Astrid, unlike you I did not have a charmed social life, ok?" Hiccup sighed with his admission. "Anytime I have ever tried to make friends, it has always blown up in my face."

Astrid placed her hand on his shoulder, "It's not like that now…" she began.

"What, because I'm with you? Whatever that means?" He interrupted her, standing up from the swing and pacing a few steps in front of her with his hands on his hips.

"Well that's just great, Astrid. But where were you when I needed you before? Huh?" Hiccup's hand was out in front of him, motioning towards her in a circular pattern.

"Hiccup, I'm sorry, I know we drifted apart, but I've never done anything to hurt you…" Astrid's voice trailed when she saw the look on Hiccup's face, challenging her.

"Ok, sure Astrid. You never made fun of me, to my face at least. You never pulled any pranks on me, or called me names. I'll give you that." Hiccup turned away from her, looking down at the ground.

Astrid took a deep breath, realizing she could barely breathe. She felt like something was coming. She had ran through all her memories of Hiccup from their childhood up, trying to remember any little thing she could have done to him without thinking, but couldn't come up with anything.

"Hiccup…" she began.

"No… let me finish. I've been wanting to say something to you about this for quite a while." Hiccup continued to look in the other direction, head down. "Listen, I know when my mom disappeared, people started to treat me different." His voice trailed and she heard him take in a deep breath.

"I know, Hiccup, that was awful."

"It's not just that. At first people treated me like a baby, like they were afraid I would break if they talked to me. Then I started overcompensating, trying to act like everything was fine even though I was dead inside." She saw his shoulders shake, still watching his back as he talked.

"…So I started acting out a little, tried being the funny guy, the class clown, but instead of thinking I was funny, or showing an ounce of understanding to what I was going through, people were annoyed. At first they ignored me, but soon they started calling me names. Hiccup the useless, Hiccup the walking fishbone, and… whatever else." He threw his hands in the air in exasperation. "So yes, I started shutting people out. What's worse is that normally my mom was the one who was there for me when things went wrong. But she was _gone._ She was gone and there was nothing I could do to help her."

"Hiccup, I…."

"No, let me finish." Hiccup took a deep breath. She could tell he was holding back his emotions as best as he could.

"There was only one other person I thought I could talk to." His voice had lowered to almost a whisper. Astrid felt her heart leap into her chest as she realized he was referring to her. "There was one day in 7th grade that had been particularly hard. I had answered a question in class no one else knew, and some of the guys started giving me a hard time about it. You know, teacher's pet… kind of thing. It was dumb junior high stuff, but it made me miss my mom, a lot." He paused at the memory. She still couldn't see his face since he was still turned away from her.

"I knew that you had a different set of friends, but I thought I could still talk to you," he continued. "I went to find you after school, and heard your voice around the corner. I started to come around but I heard my name, so I stopped and listened."

Hiccup paused again. Astrid's heart was pounding in her chest. This was going to be the moment of truth, why Hiccup had treated her the way he had when she first started talking to him. She was already grimacing, already recoiling into herself. She had a feeling it was going to be awful, something that would make her feel terrible. Had she called him a name? Maybe she had laughed at someone's joke? She let out a deep breath, but Hiccup still stood in front of her.

"Hiccup, just tell me…" Astrid began, her own eyes beginning to well up with the weight of the conversation.

Hiccup spun around, his eyes glossy with the tears he was trying to hold back. He looked at her hard for a moment.

"Please, Hiccup…. Did I call you a name? Did I make fun of you? Please just tell me!" Astrid's voice hitched and cracked a little as the fear of what he would say was gripping at her soul.

"No." Hiccup said finally, staring at her hard. "You said you weren't my friend."

Astrid sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly, feeling the trembling of her chest before weakly whispering her next words, "What did I say exactly?"

"Someone was talking about how weird I was, and someone else said, 'hey, aren't you friends with Hiccup?' and you answered, 'no, I don't know what you are talking about, I hardly even know him.'"

Astrid could feel the weight of his words hit her hard in her chest. She shook her head as though willing it to go away. "Hiccup, I'm sorry."

"..and you know the fucked up thing, Astrid?" He continued, the sadness in his eyes being slowly replaced by anger, "…the most fucked up thing was that even though some of the other kids had said some god awful things to me, calling me names, or saying that my mom probably ran away because I was such a disappointment, hitting me, kicking me, whatever. The fucked up thing is that nothing that anyone said or did to me hurt me worse than hearing you say that we were never friends. I had always thought you were better than the rest of them." Hiccup turned away again, and she heard his breath hitch just slightly. He muttered "God dammit" under his breath as he tried to fight back his emotions.

"Oh Hiccup, I'm so sorry!" Astrid dropped her head in her hands, feeling completely ashamed. How could she have hurt him like that, back when he needed her most? Thinking of Hiccup when he was younger, when his mom had just disappeared, he was so fragile, and she had just crushed him without even knowing it. She felt like she remembered that happening, and it made it all very real to her. Painfully real. She tried to keep a stiff lip, but the air was so thick with his words, the weight of her injustice to him squeezing the air out of her lungs, she couldn't hold it back anymore. She let go of the tears she had been trying to hold in, letting them stream down her face.

She let out a cry from her throat that surprised her as much as it surprised Hiccup. He turned back to face her, tears streaming down his own face. "I had done so well, I thought I had gotten past all this, but you coming back in my life, it's making me realize I never actually dealt with anything that happened, I just ignored it and shut everyone out."

Hiccup walked back to Astrid and sat down beside her on the swing, burying his own head back in his hands. "I thought I was happy after shutting everyone out." He repeated while trying to stop his own tears.

"…a-and w-were you?" Astrid managed between tears, wiping the offending evidence away from her eyes.

"I thought I was…" Hiccup took a deep breath. Astrid looked up at him, sure that there was mascara running down her face and that her eyes were red and puffy. He brought his hand to her cheek and wiped away a teardrop with his thumb, taking her head in his hands and looking directly into her eyes. "Maybe you are different after all." He said, still wiping away the tears streaming down her face. "Anyone else would just call me a baby for bringing this up."

Astrid pressed her cheek into his hand, bringing her other hand up to rest on the outside of his. "I'm so sorry Hiccup. I wish I had the words to undo what I did, I wish I could take it back, but nothing I could say can erase it."

Hiccup shrugged his shoulders and sniffled. "It's in the past now." His admission seemed to ease his mind, like unloading the truth he was harboring had somehow lifted a weight off of his shoulders.

Astrid realized that now that she knew what had happened, they could work past it together. She leapt into Hiccup's arms, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him in close. "I'm sorry." She repeated as her breath began to slow back to normal and the tears were drying from her eyes. A sense of calm came over them as though this unfinished business somehow brought them closer.

He sat for a minute while she hugged him, awkwardly unsure of what to do, but eventually tightened his arms around her. They hugged for several minutes as though their touch would help heal Hiccup's wounds. Once they had both stopped crying, Astrid pulled away and placed her hand over her heart.

"Thank you, Hiccup." She said before bringing her hand up to cup Hiccup's face, running her thumb along his cheek bone to wipe off the white tear streaks from his face. "Thank you for opening up to me."

Hiccup shrugged. "There is one thing you can do for me. Consider it payback for dragging me around the last few weeks."

Astrid's heart about jumped out of her chest. "Anything, Hiccup!" Finally, a chance to redeem herself.

"I have this sort of… senior gallery thing on Saturday night." He began, looking around nervously. "They kind of make a big deal out of it. All the seniors in the art department get to show off their work. They rent out a hall and tell us to dress up, black tie and all…." He paused, like he was unsure what to say next.

"Hiccup, are you asking me on a date?" Astrid asked, excitement starting to build in her chest.

Hiccup let out a sigh. "I mean, yeah… I was kind of getting there." He shook his head. "They encourage us to bring dates to make it seem like a real art opening…."

"Hiccup, I'd LOVE to go with you!" Astrid smiled brightly, feeling more excited than she rightly should.

"I mean… it's ok if you don't…." His voice trailed off as he looked at the ground. "I mean, you'd have to wear a formal dress… and I didn't know if you'd have something…."

"Are you kidding? Even if I didn't, this gives me an excuse to go dress shopping!" Astrid giggled and hugged Hiccup again.

Hiccup cleared his throat. "I mean… it doesn't have to be like, a real date…."

"Hiccup." Astrid looked him square in the eye. "It's a date. I'm saying yes."

"O-oh… ok. Well… great. Then I guess I'll pick you up at 6:30? Gallery opens at 7."

The two hugged and said their goodbyes. As soon as Astrid was in the house, she couldn't wipe the smile off her face. They had worked through something very difficult, and now they had a date. She couldn't hide it from herself, she really was falling in love with Hiccup. But after what she had done to him, would he be able to return her feelings?

First thing was first. She had to text Ruffnut.

A: The bet is off.

R: What?

A: You heard me. I can't do this to Hiccup.

R: Fine, you owe me 50 bucks.

A: Fine.

R: Wait, does this mean what I think it means?

A: Shut up, Ruff.

…And she did. Now it wasn't about a bet anymore. This both thrilled and terrified Astrid. She really hoped she knew what she was doing.

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Hiccup made the long walk back to his car alone, feeling like he had just been raked over the emotional coals. He felt raw and vulnerable. He couldn't believe he had cried in front of Astrid. He'd always said he'd never let one of _them_ see him cry. Then again, maybe Astrid wasn't one of them.

The tears she had cried along with him, those seemed like real tears. She didn't make fun of him, and she seemed genuinely sorry for her actions. He got in his car and started the engine, turning off the music. He needed silence. He needed to work through what had just happened.

He had finally done it. He had confronted her for what had happened in junior high. It was a conversation he had played in his head a million times over the last 5 years. There were so many different ways he had imagined it would go. He thought she might feel bad, or she might even apologize. He also imagined her not caring, or telling him to grow up. He never could have predicted just how deeply she would have taken it. They had cried together over this shared experience. He felt as though a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. When she had hugged him, _genuinely hugged him_, it's like she had somehow erased the hurt she had caused.

He had asked her to his senior gallery as a date, and she had said yes. Surely though, she was only accepting because she felt bad. He decided he was going to try not to read too much into it. He would just try to enjoy their date on Saturday.

_Oh god_, he thought, as the panic started to set in. I have a date with _Astrid Hofferson_ on Saturday! He tried to will the butterflies in his stomach to stop and took a deep breath. Even if it's not a real date, he would still try to make it worth her while. It's a good thing his dad insisted he have a tux for all the work related charity events he had to attend, so he at least had that.

Hiccup took another deep breath as he arrived home and put his car in park. He leaned his head back against his head rest and closed his eyes.

Could he forgive her for hurting him in junior high? He already knew the answer. Anytime he takes one look into those wide blue eyes, he knows he'd forgive her for just about anything. But he still needs to be careful. Just because she had agreed to this date doesn't mean she feels anything romantic towards him, so he needs to make sure his guard is still up.

As he laid down in bed that night, the only thing running through his head was the feel of her in his arms as they hugged. He fell asleep smiling.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Fluffy times ahead, for at least the next few chapters. Enjoy! And Merry Christmas everyone! Let me know what you think. Also, a great big thank you to everyone who followed/favorited/reviewed so far! 100 Reviews exactly and over 200 followers! I never imagined my silly idea would end up being so popular! thanks again! **

"Hiccup!" A loud voice with that familiar Scottish burr shook the house. "There is a package for ye! …And a big one at that!"

Hiccup's pulse quickened a beat. It must be his comics. He had wondered how long it would take for them to arrive. "Coming, dad!"

Hiccup ran down the stairs, skipping on a step or two on the way down but steadying himself easily on the handrail as he came.

Stoick shook his head at his son. "Hiccup, ye need to be more careful on the steps! I know yer excited but ye don't want to get hurt, aye?"

Hiccup shook his head as he walked towards his dad in the entry way, holding open the front door. Stoick had been given the nickname of Stoick the Vast as a boy, and he only fit the description more perfectly now. His large shoulders and tall stature meant he took up nearly the entire door frame.

Hiccup pushed past his father to retrieve the box. It wasn't quite as big as he thought it would be, but the label on the side said, "How to Train Your Dragon, 500 copies". He bent to pick up the box excitedly, and was surprised when it was heavier than he expected. He hoisted it up in front of him, resting it against his chest as he brought it into the house.

Stoick followed him into the kitchen as Hiccup set the heavy box down on the table. He quickly grabbed a pair of kitchen shears and carefully cut a slit along the tape holding the cardboard box closed. He lifted open the flaps and breathed in the smell of newly printed paper. He gingerly picked up the first copy. The glossy pages looked professional. His heart skipped a beat at seeing his art and his story coming alive on the cover.

He ran his hand over the smooth surface of the cover, cold and crisp to his touch. His design lined up perfectly with the specs that the publishing company gave him. He turned the first page of the cover, pausing to test the thickness of the page between his thumb and forefinger. Satisfied with its thickness and quality, he continued to turn page after page, looking for any imperfection. He glanced through the words to make sure none of the ink had smudged, checked the pictures for digital errors. He checked the binding and the edge to make sure they'd gotten the bleed right, which could be tricky.

There was an odd digital blur here or there, but not anywhere that made a huge difference. Mostly just little places that no one else would probably notice. He finally let himself smile, satisfied with the overall quality.

"Well, let's see it, then!" Stoick's voice bellowed behind him. "I take it by the smile on yer face that it passed inspection?"

Hiccup merely nodded before handing Stoick the comic. "You are watching history in the making, dad. What you are holding there is a first addition Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III original comic book."

Stoick's large hands held the comic book clumsily, turning the pages in jerks instead of the smooth and careful page turns like Hiccup. "Well, for $1000 dollars I certainly would have thought ye could have gotten more."

"I got a deal as it was! $2.00 per comic." Hiccup took the comic out of Stoick's hands and attempted to smooth the edges he'd just creased with his ungraceful hands.

"I see…. And how much can ye sell these for at yer comic-y thing."

"Most comics go from $3.99-$4.99. Most people will pay $4.99 to an independent publisher, like myself, if they like the comic." Hiccup knew where his dad was going with this, always the salesman.

"So, you've worked nearly every Saturday morning all year at the dealership, cleaning cars to make that $1000," Stoick paused, "…And if you sell 'em for $5.00, supposing you sell 'em all, then ye will make a profit of… $1500." He did the math in his head, but it was obviously laborious for him.

"Yep." Hiccup had already stopped paying attention to his dad. He didn't care that his son's art was coming alive in front of his eyes, he only cared about the profitability. "Not to mention the comic-con booth fees, but we are splitting that between 4 guys, so it only ended up being $225 per person."

"…and you are going to be there all weekend?" Stoick asked, eyeing Hiccup as he tried to piece together the math in his head.

"Yep. Thursday through Sunday. Not counting school of course."

Stoick shook his head. "Alright, I'll trust ye on this. Ye still think you can get picked up by a publisher?"

"I'm hoping." Hiccup's answers were getting shorter and more quipped as the conversation continued. He was still checking the top few comics for errors, and it was obvious his dad didn't really care.

He grabbed the box against his chest. "I'll take it upstairs for now. Thanks, dad, for letting me know it was here."

Stoick nodded and went back to the living room to continue watching tv.

When Hiccup got the comics to his room, he carefully pulled out the first one again and hugged it tight to his chest. This moment was several years in the making, and soon he would be presenting his hard work to a group of people that may actually be able to appreciate him. He read through the pages again, carefully reading over every word, trying to imprint this moment to his memory. Now if he can just sell some at Comic-Con.

Saturday night came quickly. Hiccup was putting the finishing touches on his tux; tugging at the tie, fixing the vest. His dad had insisted he have a black tux with black vest. Hiccup wore this with a black tux shirt underneath. Stoick thought it looked better with the white tux shirt, but he liked how he looked in all black. He was a bundle of nerves thinking about picking up Astrid. He checked his watch, it was 6:00. He had exactly 15 minutes before he needed to leave to pick her up.

He checked himself in the mirror, sweeping his hair to the side as Astrid had shown him. Maybe he was ready for a haircut, but it would have to wait for another day. He smoothed his jacket and buttoned the cuffs. He wondered how Astrid would look. He hadn't thought to ask her the color of her dress, he could have gotten her a corsage or something. Oh well, the dozen roses he had bought earlier would have to do.

Was he overdoing it? Maybe the roses were a stupid idea. He didn't know if she was taking this date seriously or not. He guessed girls liked roses no matter what, right?

He was still contemplating whether the roses were too much when there was a knock on his door. "Son, are ye about ready?"

Hiccup opened the door. His father stood before him in one of his best suits, his wild red hair pulled back and plaited, beard neatly groomed. Hiccup guessed he should be happy he didn't try to wear a kilt. _You can take the man out of Scotland…._ Hiccup thought to himself playfully while shaking his head.

"Well son, this is a big night, aye?" Stoick tried to smile at Hiccup, doing his best to try to relate to his son and his interests.

"Yes, I suppose it kind of is." Hiccup murmured, not sure if Stoick was referring to his senior gallery, or his date with Astrid. As excited as he was about his date, he actually hoped his dad was referring to his art. He'd worked hard over the past year on the pieces that would be at the exhibit.

"Ah, so you did get the flowers for yer date." Stoick smiled as he saw the bundle of red roses sitting on the bed. Hiccup felt his heart sink a little, realizing that Stoick was in fact referring to his date and not his art.

Hiccup shuffled his feet awkwardly, glancing back at the flowers with a wince. "Yeah, I just hope it's not too much…."

"Yer first date, Hiccup!" Stoick laughed as he shoved Hiccup's shoulder. "Aye, that's my boy!"

Hiccup fell back a little from his father's shove, holding his shoulder and rotating it back into place. "Well, I guess I'll see you there? Doors open at 7, but you don't have to be there right away. You have until it closes down at 9." Hiccup tried desperately to bring the subject back to the gallery itself.

"Alright Hiccup!" Stoick laughed. "I do have an errand to run, but I'll be there!" He winked at his son before turning to head down the stairs. "Good luck, son!"

Hiccup watched as his father rounded the corner and stomped down the stairs. He had been downplaying the importance of the gallery to everyone, but the truth was, he'd been waiting a long time for this. As a freshman, he remembered watching the seniors get ready for the gallery, perfecting their art, talking about dressing up. It was a great way to wrap up his senior year on a positive note. He hated recognition and spotlight, but this felt different. It was a smaller group of people with similar interests and a chance to let his art be seen.

Fishlegs was going to come by as well. Hiccup wanted to show him the comics, so he grabbed his messenger bag and put a few inside. He was sure Fish would be just as excited about the comics as he was.

Hiccup secured the messenger bag over his shoulder. It clashed painfully against the tux. He would probably have to leave it in his car during the gallery. He took a deep breath in the mirror. It was time to leave to get Astrid. He grabbed the flowers from his bed and was on his way.

Within minutes he had arrived at Astrid's house. He was only a few minutes early, he hoped she wouldn't mind. He knocked at the door and took a step back, looking down at his shoes, feeling a mixture of emotions bubbling inside of him.

The door opened and Astrid's father stood in the opening, with only a slight scowl on his face. Hiccup swallowed hard. Astrid's father wasn't nearly as big as his own, but he was still a tall and broad shouldered man who dwarfed himself in comparison.

"Hiccup, I presume?" He spoke with an eyebrow cocked.

"Yes sir." Hiccup replied, wondering what the protocol is for greeting the father of your kind-of date. He looked down at his shoes, running his free hand through his hair.

"Oh, let him in, Bo!" came a female voice from inside. Mr. Hofferson slowly moved away from the door, gesturing into the house.

Hiccup nodded at him and walked in timidly, shoulders hunched. Mrs. Hofferson walked towards him while shouting up the stairs to let Astrid know he was there. He heard her voice shout back down, "be down in a minute!"

Hiccup swallowed hard. This certainly felt like a real date. Her father was eyeing him like he was a real threat, and Mrs. Hofferson was beaming at him.

"Well, Hiccup, it's been a long time since we've seen you! Hasn't it dear?" She looked to Mr. Hofferson with a friendly smile.

"Yes, Hiccup. It has been awhile. How have you been?" Mr. Hofferson was obviously trying hard to appease Mrs. Hofferson.

"Fine." Hiccup replied, not sure what the proper response to that question should be.

"Don't you look handsome, Hiccup." Mrs. Hofferson smiled. "Why don't you come sit down in the living room while we wait for Astrid?"

Hiccup nodded and awkwardly followed them into the living room. He pulled his cell out of his pant pocket to check the time. They were still ok, but he wished she would hurry up and save him this uncomfortable situation.

Mrs. Hofferson sat on the couch across from Hiccup. "Oh, Hiccup, I'm so glad you and Astrid are friends again. I always told her you were such a nice boy. Don't you agree, Bo?"

Bo nodded begrudgingly in agreement. "Well, anything beats that Eret kid, god I hated that arrogant bastard."

Mrs. Hofferson swatted him in the side. "Bo!"

"Well, I did!" He responded.

Hiccup chuckled just a little but covered it with a cough, nervously fiddling with his tie.

Then Hiccup heard the padded footsteps of Astrid coming down the stairs. The three of them turned to see her, and got up and made their way to meet her at the bottom.

The first thing Hiccup saw as she made her way down was her red high heeled shoes. The next thing he noticed was the crimson dress she wore, which hugged all her curves just right. It was form fitting to just below the curve of her hip, then began to flare out at around mid-thigh. It had a sweetheart neckline and he could see the curve of her breast peeking out the top of the dress. He would have looked away, but he couldn't take his eyes off of her. He could feel the butterflies in his stomach go into overtime taking in how beautiful she looked.

She had her hair in a loose bun at the nape of her neck with a few tendrils of hair curled and framing her face. She wore a deep red lipstick to match her dress. When she made it to the bottom of the stairs she did a slight twirl to show off her dress, which upon closer inspection had a lace overlay. The back of the dress dipped down to her waist, showing off the strong muscles of her back which were long, lean, and still very feminine. Her skin looked smooth and soft. Noticing this made Hiccup gulp again and run his fingers through his hair nervously.

"A-Astrid, you look…. Beautiful." He managed to say somehow even though his heart was beating so hard in his chest he thought everyone could hear it.

"Thank you." Astrid smiled. "You look very handsome as well. That tux looks great on you."

Hiccup presented the roses in his hand to her, looking timidly at the ground while she took them.

"Aww, Hiccup, they are beautiful." Astrid smiled. "No one has ever brought me flowers before!"

Astrid's mom reached for the roses. "Here, I'll go put them in a vase." She smiled cheerfully.

"Wait!" Astrid plucked a single rose from the bouquet and nodded at her mom. Mrs. Hofferson smiled before ducking into the kitchen to retrieve a vase and water.

Astrid pulled out her clutch and snapped it open, pulling out a few bobby pins. She shortened the stem to about 6 inches below the bud and then tucked it behind her ear, securing the stem with her bobby pins. The rose perfectly complimented her dress.

It was perfect. She was perfect.

Hiccup took a deep breath and held out his arm. Astrid giggled and slipped her arm through his.

"Are you ready, milady?"

She giggled slightly and nodded her head. "See you guys later!" she called back to her parents.

"Have fun sweetheart!" Mrs. Hofferson called from the kitchen.

"But not too much." Mr. Hofferson added.

They were out the door and Astrid giggled as soon as the door shut. "Sorry about my parents, they can be a little much sometimes."

"Nah, its fine." Hiccup laughed nervously.

He led Astrid to his car, opening the passenger side door for her. She grinned at him, a grin that seemed to brighten her whole face as she carefully sat down in the car. Hiccup closed the door and walked around to the driver side, getting in himself and starting the car.

He sat for a moment before putting the car in gear, glancing in her direction. She was looking at him curiously, but her smile was still as bright as a moment ago.

"What?" Hiccup asked, reaching for the clutch and putting the car in gear.

"No one has ever given me flowers or opened the door for me. Ever." Astrid shook her head.

"Really? But you've had tons of dates before, right?"

"Yep." She responded.

"And none of them ever treated you right?"

Astrid laughed. "I mean, I guess they just weren't into all this… chivalry stuff."

"This 'chivalry stuff' is just how you deserve to be treated, Astrid." Hiccup replied simply before backing out of the driveway and heading towards the gallery.

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Her stomach wouldn't calm down, and she was beginning to wonder if it ever would. As she rode in Hiccup's car to the gallery, which was being held in the Plaza downtown, she kept stealing glances in Hiccup's direction and feeling the butterflies begin their flutter all over again each time.

Hiccup was handsome. No, scratch that, Hiccup was hot. Had he always been this hot and just hiding it under hoodies and baggy jeans? Or was he becoming hot to her because she was getting to know the person inside him?

Things that had seemed juvenile just a few weeks ago, like the splattering of freckles across the bridge of his nose and creeping along his cheekbones, or his thin but tall frame, they seemed so endearing now. He might be thin, but she had been held in those arms on a few occasions and knew they were solid, strong. Hiccup had been through so much in his young life which made him seem even stronger on the inside. The more she got to know him, the more she could admire that strength as it manifested itself physically for her.

She saw his strength now in the piercing gaze of his eyes when he was determined or angry. She saw it in the way he fixed his jaw when he was upset. She saw his strength in the way he continued to walk through the halls of the school every day, having known nothing but torment and pain from his peers. He had persevered. The edges of his faults were starting to blur as she began to understand him. The freckles looked like war paint, marking him as a warrior.

Then within that strength, she was beginning to see his tenderness. The way he had opened up to her only a few nights ago, the way he was able to forgive her when she let herself break down in front of him, which she never did with anyone else. She also saw it as the words he spoke from just a few moments ago ran through her mind. _You deserve to be treated right. _To Astrid, this also translated to_: you are worthy of love just as you are. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do._

She smoothed her dress on her thighs and pulled down the visor mirror, inspecting her makeup again and admiring the way the rose complimented her coloring. She actually felt kind of glamorous. Her mom had insisted that this dress just wasn't quite right for prom, but she had bought it anyway. She was glad she did, because it felt perfect for this. She could get something more formal for prom like her mother wanted, but tonight she felt glamorous.

When they arrived at the plaza, Hiccup parked the car and motioned for her to stay in her seat. He walked around and opened the door for her, extending his hand to help her up. She smiled at him and took his hand. He closed the door behind her and they began to walk towards the entrance.

Hiccup seemed unsure. His grip on her hand was somewhat loose. She slid her fingers through his to establish a tighter lock, giving his hand a slight squeeze as she admired the way her hands fit inside his. She looked up at Hiccup as they walked, and he turned and gave her a half smile. She giggled just a little to herself, letting the nervous energy she felt escape.

They made it to the doors and a doorman opened the door for the couple. The two walked in and were greeted with ushers in tuxes. "Artist or guest?" One of them asked, moving forward to direct the two.

"Artist." Hiccup replied, standing up a little straighter and puffing his chest. _Adorable._ He gave her a sideways glance and added with a half-grin, "…and date."

The usher held up a clipboard, pen poised on the paper. "Name, sir?"

"Hiccup, uh- Hiccup Haddock."

The usher made a mark on the clip board. "Very good, sir. Let me lead you to your exhibit."

Hiccup turned his face towards Astrid, giving her a tight smile. Astrid smiled back at him and brought her free hand over to pat his arm. "How exciting!" She whispered as they followed the usher.

He led them through the hall to a section towards the middle. "Here you are, sir. There are drinks and hors d'oeuvres coming around, feel free to indulge in the refreshments. If you or your date need anything at all, please don't hesitate to find us." He nodded and walked back to the entrance to greet the new guests.

"Wow, this is impressive!" Astrid exclaimed as she glanced around the hall. It had been decorated with strings of lights that cast impressive shadows on the walls, which served as a beige backdrop to the art around her. "They really do go all out for this!"

Hiccup smiled at her. "I have to stay with my exhibit, to answer questions when the guests come around, but you can feel free to have a look around."

Astrid turned around to look at Hiccup's art. There were many different mediums and styles, as she was sure were projects throughout the school year. There were paintings, charcoal, pencil, and probably more variants than she could discern for herself. Some were in vibrant colors, some muted, and some were black and white. There were portraits and abstracts, landscapes and digital art. She slowly walked down the line, admiring each one.

They were beautiful of course, but one caught her eye more than the rest. As she glanced at the painting, it was a bit abstract, but there was a contrast of light and dark surrounding a boy in the middle, who was drawn far away, looking away from the picture so she could only see the back of his head. He was turned towards the light, but holding his head in his hands. The overall feel of the painting was raw and breathtaking.

Astrid looked back at Hiccup, who was watching her, and then back at the painting. "Hiccup, this is, just amazing." She cocked her head to the side before turning back to Hiccup. "Does it mean anything?"

Hiccup cleared his throat nervously and closed the small gap between them, standing directly behind her to look at the painting over her shoulder. "Yeah. I was having a particularly hard few days when I painted that." He swallowed hard before continuing. "It's supposed to represent my loneliness."

Astrid stared at the painting a little harder, feeling like she could see that with how far away the boy looked. "What about the light and dark swirling around you?"

"That is me, searching for the truth in a sea of right and wrong."

"It's beautiful, Hiccup." She reached back and squeezed Hiccup's hand.

"The one thing they try to teach us is to paint with emotions. I didn't know if I wanted to include it because it felt really personal, but Mrs. Larson insisted that it was my best work."

"I agree. I love it." Astrid pulled her eyes away from the painting to turn and look at Hiccup.

She hadn't realized how closely behind her he'd been standing, and now that she had turned to face them, they were heart stoppingly close. Astrid swallowed hard before lifting her chin up to look at him. He was looking down at her with a half surprised look on his face. Their closeness must have taken him aback a bit too. For a moment the two stood frozen in time as the sounds of the surrounding gallery melted away.

She noticed Hiccup looking at her lips again and she instructively licked them self-consciously. She saw Hiccup's jaw tense as he gazed at her and it made her heart skip a beat. She felt very self-aware, like she could feel every cell on the surface of her skin react to the slight hitch in his breathing.

It was only a split second in time, the tiniest fraction of her life, but the world slowed down as Hiccup and Astrid stared into each other's eyes, everything they had shared in the past few weeks making her feel closer to him than anyone else.

As they stared, she began to instinctively lean towards Hiccup, and noticed that he seemed to be leaning down towards her, the space between their lips was closing. Astrid's heart fluttered in her chest as the inevitable kiss drew near. They were mere inches away when a loud voice interrupted them.

"Hiccup, son! I made it!"

Stoick's voice boomed loudly through the gallery, causing many people to pause their conversations, but only for a moment. Stoick was waving wildly at Hiccup as he made his way towards Hiccup's booth. Astrid and Hiccup took a panicked step away from each other.

Astrid's heart was pounding and her lips seemed to physically ache at the missed kiss. She took a deep breath and tried to recover quickly, forcing a tight smile on her face as Hiccup's dad drew near. She swallowed hard, trying to swallow the guilt of almost getting caught mid kiss.

Stoick arrived in front of them and he extended his hand to Hiccup. Hiccup took it and the two shook hands. "I told ye I'd be here at 7!" He laughed, then took a glance around. "This is a pretty nice set up."

He glanced in Astrid's direction and smiled. "Hiccup, are ye going to introduce me?"

Hiccup looked at Astrid and smiled, running his hands through his hair. "Uh, d-dad? This is Astrid. Astrid Hofferson."

Stoick extended his hand toward Astrid's and she took it. He shook it enthusiastically. "Aye, Astrid! I haven't seen ye in years, not since you were a wee thing!" Stoick laughed. "So good to see ye and Hiccup as friends again."

Stoick winked obviously at Hiccup, which made his face turn red. Astrid giggled to herself a little, but instinctively took his hand and squeezed it to reassure him it was ok.

"Well, let me take a look at yer work here, son." Stoick bellowed, walking towards the pictures in front of him. He made his way slowly down the line, taking a sweeping glance at each painting. Hiccup was stiff next to her, and she could swear that he was holding his breath a little.

Stoick went down the entire line, but she noticed he never stopped once to look at any of the art any longer than a few seconds, and he especially didn't look any closer at Hiccup's best picture. He turned back after looking at them all and smiled at Hiccup. "Very good, son." He smiled, but Astrid felt like the praise felt a bit like the praise given to a dog when they fetched the morning paper.

She saw Hiccup's shoulders slump a little, so he must have realized it, too. "Thanks, dad." He responded, trying not to sound flat. Stoick smiled and rubbed his hands together. "I'm going to see about getting my hands on some of those hors d'oeuvres."

Stoick headed off in the direction of a waiter holding a tray of finger foods.

Hiccup slumped a little once Stoick was gone. Astrid squeezed his hand again, bringing his hand up to her chest to give it a hug. "I'm sorry."

Hiccup shrugged. "He's never been interested in art. I mean, he tries. I should probably be happy he at least showed up."

Astrid felt her heart sinking for Hiccup. She turned to look at his painting again, realizing just how lonely it must be that his only parent didn't understand him.

The night was beginning to pick up as the room filled with parents, friends, and interested art enthusiast from the community. Soon, Hiccup was preoccupied with greeting people as they came by his booth, answering questions about his work and thanking them for their interest. Astrid stood back a little and watched Hiccup do his thing. Most of the questions revolved around what type of paint was used for this painting, what the inspiration was for the other, and questions about color palates, lots of technical terms she didn't know. It was still great to watch Hiccup as his green eyes shone while talking shop with people who seemed to care.

Astrid was beginning to feel a bit bored, checking the time on her watch, when Fishlegs caught her eye.

"Oh, hi Fishlegs!" Astrid greeted as he awkwardly made his way over. He was wearing a suit and tie, blond hair slicked back, a little long down the nape of his neck, cleanly shaven.

"Hey Astrid. How is the gallery going?" He stuck his hands in his pockets as he approached, Hiccup busily talking to someone else.

"Great! He's gotten a lot of interest in his paintings." Astrid smiled at Hiccup and he winked at her with a sideways glance.

Fishlegs stood for a minute, looking from Hiccup to Astrid, and a small grin played at his lips. He lowered his voice so only she could hear. "Something is going on here….isn't it?"

Astrid felt herself blush slightly. "I- I don't know… how to answer that, exactly." Her chest tightened and she began to fiddle with her clutch to busy her hands.

Fishlegs turned away from Hiccup, who was still deep in conversation with someone who was asking a lot of questions about a particular painting.

"What do you mean, you don't know how to answer that?" He asked.

Astrid shrugged. "I mean, I don't know how Hiccup feels about me. I know I'd done some awful things in the past…" She shook her head, remembering Thursday night's confessions.

Fishlegs snorted. "Are you kidding me, Astrid? You've always been his dream girl."

Astrid wished she could believe him, she glanced in Hiccup's direction in time to see the patron leaving the table. She and Fishlegs straightened up and quickly ended their conversation.

"Hey Fishlegs!" Hiccup greeted. "Thanks for coming, man."

"Wouldn't miss it, you are my best friend after all." Fishlegs responded, trying to hide his nervousness that he may have heard their conversation.

"Hey, I have something to show you, but it's in my car." Hiccup nodded his head to motion towards his car.

"Go ahead." Astrid said. "I'll man the fort for a little while. I can let people know you'll be back."

"Oh, ok… thanks Astrid." Hiccup smiled and the two made their way out, disappearing from her sight.

She really hoped Fishlegs was right, because Hiccup was quickly becoming her dream boy as well.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: My beta, Foxes-rocks is going to hate me because he hasn't proofread this yet. (Sorry). I get impatient sometimes. Anywho... more fluffy times ahead. Oh and hey, it only took 40k somethingish words to get to what is lurking at the bottom of this chapter. (Evil laughs) **

"Hiccup, this is amazing!" Fishlegs giggled excitedly as he leafed through the comic book in his hands.

"I know, it's exciting to see it in print, right? Everything is really coming together." Hiccup closed the book he had been looking at and put it back in his bag.

"Just think, Hiccup, in a few weeks we'll be at Comic Con, and we can possibly sell these. What if it gets super popular?" Fishlegs was grinning from ear to ear, getting giddier with every page turn.

"Well, you know, I'm trying not to have unrealistically high hopes." Hiccup shrugged. "But yes, that would be amazing."

Hiccup gestured for the comic in Fishlegs' hand. He didn't want to leave his booth at the gallery for too long, and he didn't really want to leave Astrid alone either. Fishlegs handed him the comic and Hiccup put them back in the backseat of his car. The two then began to walk back towards the gallery.

"So… speaking of Astrid…" Fishlegs began hesitantly. "…how is your, kind-of date going?"

Hiccup sighed while running his hands through his hair. "I mean, I think it's going well." He stopped and looked around to see if anyone was within ear shot and lowered his voice. "I think we had…a moment."

"A moment?" Fishlegs repeated, before a huge smile broke out over his face. "What kind of moment, Hiccup?" Fishlegs rubbed his hands together excitedly.

"Now… don't get too excited there, Fish." Hiccup exhaled sharply and rubbed his brow. "I don't want to make a big deal out of it."

"You don't want to make a big deal out of it? You don't want to make a big deal out of the fact that you are out on a 'date' with your dream girl, and you had a moment!" Fishlegs shook his head. "If it were me with my dream girl…."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." Hiccup sighed, wishing he hadn't said anything at all. One look at Fishlegs' face let him know that he wouldn't likely drop it. "We just…. I think we almost kissed."

"WHAT!" Fishlegs exclaimed. Hiccup looked around in panic gesturing with his hands for Fishlegs to quiet down. Fishlegs glanced around nervously and tried to hide his shout with a cough.

"Please, someone might hear you!" Hiccup smacked his palm against his forehead and held it there for a moment, wincing.

"Sorry." Fishlegs lowered his voice to a whisper. "So, what happened?"

"My dad happened, what's new. The one time he shows up on time for something, too." Hiccup shook his head. "Just my luck."

Fishlegs chuckled a little. "But hey, your dad came, that's great!"

"Yeah, it would have been better if he'd acted at all interested in my art, but I guess I can't complain. He tries, at least."

"So, how did this kiss almost happen?" Fishlegs obviously wasn't going to drop this subject at all, even with the easily manipulated subject change.

Hiccup paused to try to remember, closing his eyes to play it over in his head. "I guess…. I guess it almost happened when she was looking at one of my works. I mean, REALLY looking. She was asking me questions and actually seemed like she cared. I'm just… I'm not used to that, and for a moment I felt like we were…. I don't know…."

"Connected?" Fishlegs finished, eyes peering at Hiccup curiously.

"Yeah… yeah, connected, I guess." Hiccup shrugged. "But, we really need to get back inside, so no more talking about this, ok?"

Fishlegs shrugged his shoulders, but couldn't wipe the smile off his face. "Ok, but Hiccup, I just know something great is going to happen with Astrid. I mean, I saw the look on her face while she was watching you talk about your art. She's falling hard for you, man."

"Don't say that!" Hiccup coughed, choking a little on his own words. "I'm all about low expectations, remember?"

"Ok, alright. Not another word tonight, ok?"

Fishlegs and Hiccup made their way back into the gallery.

When they walked into the entry and Hiccup's eyes searched for his booth, they rested first on Astrid. She was still standing at his booth, looking as beautiful as ever. She really did look spectacular in that red dress, and the rose tucked behind her ear took his breath away. His heart skipped a beat as he admired her. She stood straight and with confidence at his booth. He watched people walk up to her and point out a painting here and there. He could just hear the conversation, but barely.

"Oh, is this your art, miss?"

"Oh, oh gosh no." She giggled. "I'm just manning the fort for a moment. The artist should be back soon."

"Oh, ok. This is really spectacular."

Astrid's face broke out into a wide smile. He watched her face light up as she turned to gesture to her favorite piece. "Oh, I know. He's such a good artist. This one is my favorite. I don't really know much about art, but I can really feel the emotion in it, you know?"

He felt his chest tighten hearing Astrid Hofferson of all people gushing about his art. The way her face had brightened, it seemed to light up the entire room. He felt Fishlegs nudge him in the shoulder.

"I told you." He whispered before nudging Hiccup forward.

The two made their way to the booth where Astrid smiled wide and introduced him to the current patron. "This is your artist, Hiccup Haddock!" Astrid gestured to Hiccup and slowly took a few steps back.

The tall man offered his hand to Hiccup. "Good to meet you then, Hiccup." Hiccup took his hand and they shook. "Your girlfriend here was just telling me all about her favorite piece." He smiled broadly. "It must be wonderful to have that kind of support."

Hiccup's felt all the blood rush to his face and realized his cheeks must be beat red. He laughed nervously and glanced back at Astrid, who was turned away talking with Fishlegs. He faked a cough to clear his throat and finally managed to reply, "It's great to have a supportive_ friend_, yes." He hoped the gentleman had caught his meaning without coming off as being rude.

The man gave Hiccup a bewildered look before looking back and forth between the two. "Oh, ok, I get it." He winked, before lowering his voice. "I've been watching that young lady gush about your art to anyone who has walked up to your booth while you've been gone. Don't let her get away… trust me on that, ok?"

Hiccup looked at the man quizzically, wondering why the stranger seemed to care so much. "Ok, stranger I've never met. I'll keep that in mind."

The man laughed. "My name is Mr. Savage, I work for a prominent art buyer, Mr. Alvin, who lives in the city. He has me scout these things for original and different pieces of art."

"Oh." Was all Hiccup could muster. He hoped he hadn't offended him.

"I think that Mr. Alvin would be quite interested in that painting that your, eh-hem, friend, was gushing about." He pointed at the painting Hiccup had done in honor of his mother.

"Oh, no, I'm sorry. I mean, this gallery isn't really meant to sell anything, it's more of an exhibition."

"Oh, we know." He laughed. "But everything has a price, right?" He pulled out an impressive billfold. "Isn't that the dream, though? To sell your artwork? Make a name for yourself?"

"Well, yes, of course." Hiccup replied, feeling a little dumbfounded. He looked back at the painting in question and back at the mysterious man. "But I wasn't exactly, prepared, for that possibility. That painting is personal."

"Oh really." The man laughed. "How about $500?"

Hiccup sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. "No, I'm sorry, like I said, it's personal."

The man pulled out a few more bills. "$750 then? Or how about $1000?"

Hiccup shook his head again. They were starting to attract the attention of other gallery patrons as they bartered. Hiccup looked around nervously wondering if this guy was going to let up anytime soon.

Sensing his distress, Astrid was by his side within seconds. "Look, Hiccup said no, and that's final." She interjected, placing her arm through Hiccup's to show a united front.

Hiccup felt a little more confident with Astrid by his side. The man simply shook his head and laughed. "Ok, you don't have to sick your lady friend on me." His eyebrow cocked up in surprise. "But here is my card, if you ever change your mind." He slipped the card into the front pocket of Hiccup's tux jacket before walking away.

"That was….weird." Hiccup exhaled, looking around the gallery to see everyone going back to their business.

"I'm sorry, Hiccup." Astrid replied.

"It's not your fault." He shrugged.

"Maybe if I hadn't have talked it up so much, he wouldn't have been so set on it."

Hiccup shrugged again. "It's over, I don't really want to talk about it anymore.

The rest of the night went off without a hitch. Nine o'clock came quickly and he packed up his works and Astrid and Fishlegs helped him take it out to the car. He couldn't believe that Astrid had stuck by him all night, and didn't even seem that bored. When he was talking with patrons about his art, she seemed to entertain herself just fine with Fishlegs.

"Hey, thanks Fishlegs, for sticking around and helping me out." Hiccup thanked his friend. Fishlegs nodded and said his goodbyes before leaving Hiccup and Astrid alone again.

Hiccup opened the door for Astrid again and she giggled before getting in. He came around the other side and got in the driver's seat and turned the engine. He glanced at her nervously while running his hands up and down his steering wheel.

"So, it's still pretty early." Astrid finally broke the silence, basically saying what Hiccup was thinking but was too scared to say.

He cleared his throat and continued to rub the steering wheel nervously. "Yeah, it is. Did you have anything in mind?"

"I just know I don't have to be home until midnight." She smoothed her hands down her dress, and Hiccup couldn't help but notice that her hands seemed to be trembling very slightly. Anyone else probably wouldn't have noticed, but he did. It made his insides rattle a little at the thought that Astrid might actually be as nervous as he was.

He also knew he wasn't quite ready for the night to end either.

"I have an idea." He grinned as he put the car in gear.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

* * *

><p>Astrid watched out the window as familiar blocks rolled by as Hiccup drove. She had no idea she would feel this nervous. She had a million thoughts running through her head. She wondered if he would try to kiss her again. She wondered if he was feeling the same heat that had settled into the pit of her stomach. She couldn't stop the nervousness in her hands as she continued to smooth down her dress. This was so unlike her. She never remembered feeling this way during her first few dates with Eret.<p>

Maybe it's because she never really felt this way about Eret. The realization slammed into her hard. She was feeling more strongly about Hiccup in a few weeks than she had in an entire year of dating Eret. She'd always heard that when you are with the right person, you just… know. She felt herself exhale slowly at the thought, trying to bring her feelings into check.

Hiccup pulled the car into a popular ice cream spot and gestured towards the establishment. "What do you think? Wanna get some ice cream?"

Astrid giggled. "That sounds… perfect."

Astrid opened her door at the same time as Hiccup, causing him to sigh. "I would have gotten that for you."

Astrid laughed. "You know, you don't have to open my door all the time."

Hiccup sighed, defeated. "Fine, have it your way."

The two rounded the car and Hiccup nervously held out his hand. Astrid took it and they walked together towards the door. Hiccup pulled it open and they walked inside.

They quickly ordered and received their ice cream before sitting down at a booth. If cold had a smell, it would be the smell of this ice cream parlor. The bright white of the tile and brightly colored booths gave the place a retro feel that was inviting and a fun. Overall the atmosphere reminded Astrid of her childhood.

She had gotten a cone, while Hiccup had gotten a waffle bowl. The two really stuck out like a sore thumb amongst all the teenagers and families wearing jeans and hoodies. Astrid shivered just slightly in her dress.

"Oh my god, I'm such an idiot, you must be freezing." Hiccup quickly shrugged off his jacket and stood up to walk over to Astrid's side of the booth. He slipped his jacket over her shoulders. She hadn't really thought she was cold, but the sudden warmth of the jacket was very soothing.

"Oh, thank you, Hiccup." She smiled.

He sat back down and put his focus back on his waffle bowl, dipping his spoon into the chocolate ice cream, smoothing out the ridges. Astrid hugged the jacket around her shoulders and began working on licking the outside of her cone before it could melt.

As Astrid focused on her cone, she realized this could have been a mistake. She looked up to see Hiccup eyeing her as she licked, and as soon as their eyes met, Hiccup's cheeks flushed bright red. Astrid's heart skipped a beat as she felt her own cheeks flush.

"Umm, sorry… I…" Hiccup stared down at his ice cream, unsure of what to say.

Astrid shook her head. "No worries, Hiccup." She smiled at him trying to lighten the mood.

The conversation soon picked up though and the two found themselves talking about everything. Astrid loved the way Hiccup got excited anytime he talked about art school or his comic book, so she made sure to ask him lots of questions about it. Soon their ice cream was gone and the parlor was starting to empty. Astrid checked her watch to see that it was nearly 10:30.

Some of the employees were starting to give them dirty looks.

"I think they are closing." Astrid finally managed.

Hiccup looked around. "Oh, boy, I think they are. I guess we should go."

As the two stood up to leave, a familiar face entered the parlor.

Astrid's heart stopped beating and she froze in her tracks. She felt Hiccup beside her stiffen as well. Eret. What in god's name was Eret doing here?

"Well, Astrid. So nice to run into you here." Eret smiled smugly before walking up to the counter. "I just wanted to pop in to get a little ice cream before the parlor closed down."

He turned to the cashier and placed his order, just a simple vanilla waffle bowl, which they handed to him swiftly, giving the group the evil eye and cleaning up around them.

"Well, we gotta get going, then." Astrid's voice was tight and she grabbed Hiccup's arm to drag him out.

Unfortunately, Eret was right behind them.

"So, what're you two all dressed up for?"

Astrid could feel her anger burning. "Nothing you care about, so why don't you just leave me alone."

Eret laughed. "What, I can't just be a nice guy?"

"In my experience, no." Astrid replied hotly while still dragging Hiccup through the parking lot.

Hiccup looked back at Eret, and Astrid looked back in time to see Eret smirking at him. "Good luck with her, mate." He spat before heading back to his own car.

Astrid never wanted to get inside Hiccup's car so fast. Thankfully he had unlocked it with his remote start as soon as they walked out the door. She got in fast and slammed the door, crossing her arms and trying to will her heartbeat to slow down. Hiccup got in beside her and closed his own door, starting the car. Eret wasn't exactly the kind of guy to just stop for ice cream, Somehow, he had followed them there on purpose.

"Wanna talk about what just happened?" He asked softly, looking over his shoulder to watch Eret's car leaving the parking lot.

"No." She said simply, grabbing at her dress and tightening her fist.

Hiccup shook his head. "What happened with Eret, anyway? Bad breakup?"

Astrid didn't speak. The only person who knew what had happened was Ruffnut.

Hiccup sat back and sighed. "Do you want me to take you home? Do you want to call Ruffnut?"

"No."

The two sat in silence for a moment. Astrid was willing her nerves to calm. How was it she could still let Eret make her so angry. She needed to work on not letting him get under her skin, because that is exactly what he wants.

After taking a few deep breaths, she saw Hiccup still looking at her curiously. She didn't know that she owed him any explanation, but he'd opened up to her so much, she guessed she could do the same for him.

"You really wanna know why we broke up?"

Hiccup looked a little shocked, and looked down at his hands before nodding. "I want to know how he hurt you, Astrid."

Astrid nodded, and took a deep breath. "I changed my mind at the last minute."

Hiccup turned and looked at her, trying to look into her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I mean…" Astrid began, taking another deep breath. "I told him I was ready, and then I changed my mind."

"Do you mean ready to….?"

"Yes, Hiccup. I told him I was ready to have sex with him. But I wasn't." Astrid looked down at her hands, feeling self-conscious from her confession. He'd probably think she was awful, the tease that Eret said she was back at the party.

"Wait, you told him you weren't ready to have sex with him, and he dumped you because of that?" Hiccup's eyes were wide as he looked at her, watching her reaction.

Astrid nodded. "I know it was probably kind of crappy of me to go back on what I said, but when it came down to the wire… I just…."

"….wasn't ready." He finished. "There is nothing wrong with that, Astrid. He shouldn't force you to do something you don't want to do."

Astrid let out a deep breath. "He didn't force me, I stopped him."

Hiccup sat back and shook his head. "I can't believe that. What an asshole."

Astrid felt relief pass through her. She hadn't shared that with anyone but Ruffnut, and even she didn't really know the whole story.

Hiccup nervously reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. She looked up at him, holding back the tears in her eyes.

"If you ever want to talk about it…" He began, but his voice trailed off.

"Thanks, Hiccup."

"What do you want to do now?"

Astrid looked at her watch. It was nearly 11, but there wasn't anything else to do at this time of night. "I guess we can head back to my house."

Hiccup gave her a tight smile and put the car in gear, neatly making his way out of the parking lot in the direction of her house. They rode in silence on the way, but it wasn't necessarily an uncomfortable silence.

When they arrived at Astrid's house, he got out of the car to walk her to her door. When they made it to her threshold, Hiccup ran his hands through his hair nervously.

"So, was this… like… a real date?" He stammered, keeping his eyes down at the ground.

Astrid giggled a little and grabbed his hand. "Yes, I already said that."

"No, but I mean…" His voice trailed again. Astrid could see him searching for the right words. She decided it was now or never.

"Hiccup, I like you." She said, taking a deep breath while still holding his hand.

"No, I mean, yeah, you like me, but as friends, right? Everyone keeps saying…"

Before he could finish what he was saying, Astrid reached out and grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him in close to her, planting her lips on his and finishing the kiss that almost happened earlier that night. She pulled away just as abruptly and self-consciously tucked her bangs behind her ear.

Hiccup gulped visibly. "Astrid, I don't want to push you or anything…. but… may I kiss you again?"

Astrid felt her chest tighten and the butterflies in her stomach go into overtime. She took a deep breath as her eyes met his. She couldn't believe he had asked her permission. It was kind of dorky, but sweet. _Adorable_, she decided.

"Yes, Hiccup."

His hands reached around her and pulled her in close again. He bent his head down and she reached to meet him. Unlike Astrid's surprise kiss, this kiss was tender. Their lips brushed softly against each other in a chaste kiss that sent waves down Astrid's spine. They pulled back and looked at each other for a moment, and Astrid pulled him in for another kiss, this one was a little deeper and they held it a few seconds longer than the first, Hiccup's hands pressed down on Astrid's lower back, fingertips teasing at her bare skin exposed by her dress and pulling her in closer. Astrid wrapped her arms around Hiccup's neck.

After a few minutes wrapped in each other's embrace, Astrid began to try to pull away. "I have to go inside, but I had a really great time." Astrid smiled against Hiccup's lips and she giggled a little with nervous energy. She began to pull away but Hiccup's lips followed hers to take another kiss. She could feel his hunger, it was the same hunger that was building inside her, but she knew her parents were just inside the house, and would wonder what was taking so long.

She finally mustered the will power to pull away, Hiccup's fingers dragging along her arms as though trying to keep her as long as possible, their hands grabbing and pulling away slowly until their fingertips finally grazed and pulled apart.

"Goodnight." She smiled.

"Goodnight." Hiccup finally stammered out, with a huge grin across his own face.

Astrid brought her hands to her lips. She began to walk in the door, but instead, turned to look at him one last time.

"And yes, Hiccup. In case that wasn't clear enough. I like you."

Hiccup looked at her shyly and replied, "I like you, too."

Astrid placed her hand on her heart and smiled before waving goodbye. She walked in the door and closed it behind her, leaning back against the door for a moment and taking in a deep breath and trying to slow her pulse.

She brought her fingers to her lips to hide her grin. Damn. Hiccup was a good kisser.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Sorry it took a little time to update. Its been crazy at work lately. What I had originally outlined for this chapter kind of fell through as well, which meant I had to rethink a few things for my next couple of chapters. So, this conversation with Stoick wasn't in my original outline, but I really like it and think it adds something. Plus, I like exploring the dynamic of their relationship. Let me know what you think! **

Hiccup's heart was pounding hard in his chest. As he walked towards his car from Astrid's front door, he kept stealing glances over his shoulder at her house. He wasn't quite sure what he was expecting to happen, but he kept looking back anyway.

Was he expecting her to run back out the door? Did he think she would run over and punch him on the arm and shout "Just kidding!"? Was he expecting Snotlout or Eret to pop out from the bushes and throw eggs at him? He kept expecting this to turn into a cruel joke, but it didn't happen.

Astrid had kissed him. _Really _kissed him. And she had let him kiss her back.

Hiccup got into his car, feeling safe in his own space. He turned the engine over and slumped back in his seat for just a minute. He squeezed his eyes shut while he replayed the entire scene in his head. She had grabbed him and kissed him, as though to signify that she did have feelings for him. But how could Astrid have real feelings for Hiccup? Things like this don't just happen, and especially not to him. After years of being ignored by the girl of his dreams, how does she suddenly end up back in his life in such an intimate way?

As he played the scene in his head, all he could think about was the feeling of Astrid's soft lips brushing against his. He brought his hand to his mouth at the memory. He could still taste her lip gloss and smell her perfume as her body was crushed against his. The feel of her in his arms was causing Hiccup's stomach to drop as though he was falling, a rush of adrenaline coursing through his veins at the thought.

He swallowed hard and sat up, putting the car into gear and driving home. He needed time to digest this. He needed to figure out if he could trust Astrid again. He really wanted to trust her with every fiber of his being. He wanted to let himself believe that she liked him. There was a hard knot in his chest though that let him know that he still had a lot of healing to do himself before he could fully submit to a relationship with her.

He had just made it into his bedroom, flopping himself down on his mattress when he heard his phone buzz. He pulled it out of his pocket and saw a text from Astrid.

A: I had fun tonight.

H: Me too.

A: I thought you looked really handsome in your tux.

H: Me too.

A: HICCUP! LOL

H: What?

A: are you getting a big head all of a sudden?

H: Now you think I have a big head?

A: well, your hair is big anyway.

H: Oh, great, more hair advice!

A: LOL, Hiccup, you know you like it.

H: Maybe, the world will never know.

The two shared a few more playful texts. Hiccup ended up falling asleep with his phone resting on his chest, hands gripping around it as he slept.

_It was dark. The only light was the faint glow of the moon. There were a pair of eyes looking down at him from above. Blue eyes. Blue eyes that seemed to light up iridescently in the twilight, set apart from the darkness surrounding him. _

_Everything was blurry around the edges, abstract. All he could focus on were the blue eyes that seemed to be twinkling as he heard a giggle echo through the emptiness. Soon more of the face came into view. First blonde eyebrows, then a perfect nose, then the thin curve of a soft lip. The blonde hair thrown over her shoulder gave it away at last, and his chest squeezed as he realized who she was: Astrid! The lack of light cast an eerie glow against her skin, making her appear a grayish blue, like she was an otherworldly being. As the rest of her came in focus, he realized she was naked, though his vision was still blurred so he couldn't really see anything. He could see her bare shoulders, however, and his eyes couldn't help but scan the delicate collarbones and the graceful curve of her neck. _

_She was leaning over him, surrounding him, enveloping him. He couldn't look away from her eyes, which seemed to be devouring his soul. She whispered his name, her voice breathy as though she struggled to speak. He reached his ghostly hand to her chest, palm flat against the front of her shoulder as his thumb began to stroke the collarbone delicately. Her skin felt silky and warm, and Hiccup suddenly found himself wondering what it would taste like. _

_The apparition of Astrid seemed to gloat him, daring him to do as he pleased. He nervously leaned his head forward and brushed his lips right where her shoulder met her neck. Her skin was salty, yet sweet. The taste filling his tongue with want. Astrid let out a low growl in her throat that he could feel against his mouth as he continued his open mouthed kisses across her shoulder and neck. _

_He could feel the tug of his arousal against, something. He felt Astrid's arms reach around him and trace a delicate finger up his spine, across the back of his freckled shoulders, as he continued to kiss up her neck. He traced her jaw with his tongue and soon found himself facing Astrid straight on. They only hesitated a moment before they both leaned in, tilting their heads so the kiss could be intimately close. The apparition's lips parted and Hiccup took the opportunity to run his tongue along the inside of her lips, eliciting a gasp from the seemingly sentient being. He felt her tremble in response to his touch. _

_For a while everything came in flashes, in waves. Hiccup desperately tried to grab onto each image as it flashed before his eyes. A flash of Astrid tipping her head back with a moan, her loosened hair flowing around her shoulders, came and went so quickly he almost didn't catch it. Random gasps and moans rang deliciously through his ears. He got subtle glimpses of skin and experienced brief moments of her skin brushing against his. He heard Astrid's breath hitch and she said, "I'm ready". _

"Ready for what?"

Hiccup woke with a start, sucking in a deep breath desperately as though his lungs had been empty. He looked up at his dad wildly as he sat up, bringing a hand to his chest to slow his racing heart.

"Dad! What're you…"

"Hiccup, time to get up! Yeh told me you would do some work with me at the dealership this mornin'. Remember yer little shopping spree a few weeks ago?"

Hiccup did remember, the night Astrid dragged him to the mall for new clothes and he'd spent nearly $300 with his dad's credit card. It's not that his dad didn't have the money, but Stoick believed that Hiccup should learn the value of a dollar by working for it.

Hiccup rubbed his eyes tiredly, gripping his comforter and pulling it tight to his chest to try to hide the evidence of the dream he'd been having. "Sure thing, dad. Just let me get dressed."

"Aye, yeh got it. I'll be in the kitchen. I'm making us some breakfast." Stoick rubbed his hands together excitedly with the hint of a twinkle in his eye.

"You? You're making breakfast?" Hiccup was mildly concerned. The Haddock boys usually survived on takeout and the occasional Ramon noodles or hamburger helper. He eyed his dad suspiciously.

"Aye! I am! I just have to go finish up!" Stoick laughed heartily at the look on Hiccup's face. "What, yeh don't think I can handle some eggs and bacon?"

Stoick laughed as his heavy footsteps faded away from Hiccup. He shook his head and wondered why his dad had gone to the trouble to make them breakfast.

His mind snapped back to his dream as he adjusted under his covers. The evidence of his dream was still tugging painfully at his boxers. He reached his hand down to adjust himself, hoping maybe it would go away if he got his mind off of Astrid. Hiccup swallowed hard as he realized that it wasn't going to go away on its own this morning, not after _that_ dream.

He slinked off to the shower and took care of his problem in private.

When Hiccup finally made his way down to the kitchen, he was met with curses in his dad's heavy Scottish burr, a few Gaelic swears escaping from Stoick's bellowing voice box. Hiccup rounded the corner to the doorway just in time for the rancid smell of burnt eggs to reach his nose and see smoke pouring from the stove.

Stoick turned around to see Hiccup as he rounded the corner. "Not a word, yeh hear me?" He clenched his fist by his sides and then angrily scraped his burnt eggs into the trash. Hiccup could feel a chuckle creeping from his chest, but another angry look from his dad made it die painfully in his throat.

"so… uh, what now?" Hiccup crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe.

"Denny's." He replied flatly before grabbing his keys and walking towards the door. "Let's go."

The drive to Denny's had been quiet and somewhat tense. Hiccup folded his arms protectively across his chest as though to shield himself from the thick cloud lurking in the car. He was suspicious because his dad so rarely cooked, although going to Denny's for breakfast wasn't exactly that uncommon.

Once they were seated at the restaurant, which was fairly busy, Hiccup picked up his menu to study his options, even though he knew he'd just order the same thing he always did: the moons over my hammy. More than anything, he just liked saying the name, and he suspected he wasn't the only one.

The waitress came and filled their coffee cups and took their orders. As usual, Stoick ordered the Lumberjack slam. The waitress smiled pleasantly at the two when she'd completed their order and walked back to the kitchen.

Now it was just Stoick and Hiccup. They stared uncomfortably at each other for a moment. Hiccup began to fiddle with his napkin, trying to keep his hands busy. He grabbed a little sugar packet from the condiment tray and added a little to his coffee, stirring it gently and concentrating probably harder than necessary at his task. He was aware that a pair of crazy Scottish eyes were boring a hole into his forehead under bushy wild eyebrows.

"So… uh- Hiccup…" Stoick began nervously, rubbing his palms against his lap.

"Yeah, dad?" Hiccup was scared to look up but he finally did. Much to his surprise, his dad didn't have his normal angry scowl, but looked… nervous? That's interesting considering that is exactly how Hiccup was feeling. What could he possibly want to talk about?

"Yes… right. Well, I just wanted to see how yer date with Astrid went last night…" his voice trailed as he placed his palms flat on the table.

"Oh, right." Hiccup's heart fluttered just a little when he heard her name. "It went… fine."

"Just fine, eh?" Stoick shook his head, his wild beard swaying nearly independently with the motion. "Seems like it went better than fine, yeh didn't get home until nearly midnight."

"Oh, yeah… that." Hiccup leaned back in the booth, wondering what exactly his dad was getting at. "I mean, I guess that's good."

Stoick laughed. "Yeh know that Astrid, she's a good one."

"Uh huh…." Hiccup's lowered his eyes, bracing himself for whatever was coming.

"I know yeh two used to be friends, and it's great that yeh are getting along again. Plus, truth be told, as far as girls go, I was startin' to worry 'bout yeh." Stoick sat back with a chuckle, feeling more relaxed now that the topic was put in motion.

"Dad! Geez!" Hiccup looked around nervously to see if anyone was within ear shot or if he recognized anyone in the restaurant. Thankfully he didn't. "Please don't make a big deal out of this, ok?"

"Tell me Hiccup, did yeh get a goodnight kiss at least?"

Hiccup felt the heat of embarrassment crawl up his neck. He coughed nervously and rubbed his sweaty palms on his lap. "Well... I mean… uh"

"Ah! Good man!" Stoick laughed heartily, causing Hiccup to nervously laugh along with him while still keeping a wary eye on the other patrons.

The waitress came by with their plates and sat them in front of the Haddock men. "Anything else I can get you boys today?"

The men shook their heads as they grabbed for their silverware and began to dig in. Hiccup was trying to pay extra close attention to his food, hoping that would be the last of the conversation.

"So, son…" Stoick began nervously after having eaten a sufficient amount of his plate. "We've never really had… the talk."

"The WHAT!" Hiccup dropped his fork against his plate and it made an awful noise that not only reverberated through his soul but caused many other customers to take notice. He picked up the fork quickly and looked around apologetically before turning back to his father, face hot with embarrassment. "Dad, no really…that's not…"

"Yeh know, the birds and the bees…"

"Yeah, I KNOW what you meant… dad, it's just"

"Well, you're all grown up now, and it's time we had a chat about…"

"Aww dad come on! Here? Now?!" Hiccup rested his elbows on the table and buried his head in his hands, sighing in exasperation.

"Well, I wanted to do it at home but I burnt the eggs…"

"I knew something was fishy! Can't we talk about this at home! In private!"

Stoick coughed nervously into his napkin. "It's not like anyone is payin' attention, and any other time we are too busy to really talk."

"You aren't going to drop this, are you?"

Stoick gathered himself up in his seat, taking a deep breath as if ready to give a prepared speech.

"Son, I know that yeh are a teenager, a young man, and yeh're going to have certain… ah-urges."

"Oh god… is this really happening?"

"This is serious, son!" Stoick sighed and shook his head. "Like I was sayin', yeh're goin' to have certain- _urges_. And those urges are perfectly… natural and- uh, healthy."

Hiccup was so mortified he could barely breathe. He continued to hold his head in his hands as his father spoke.

"I just want yeh to know a few things, I want yeh to be prepared and- uh, safe."

"Can someone kill me now?"

Stoick looked sternly at Hiccup before continuing.

"First and foremost, I want yeh to be safe, so if it comes to that, know that yeh can come to me, for anything." Stoick shifted in his seat and lowered his voice. "If yeh need condoms…"

"DAD!" Hiccup sunk lower in his seat.

"Listen, son, I'm not ready to be a grandpa just yet, so if yeh need them…"

"Oh for the love of- Dad! Listen, we just kissed, that's all. I don't need…" Hiccup gulped and lowered his voice to a whisper before finishing, "…condoms."

Stoick laughed nervously. "Well, yes, maybe not right now, but in the future…"

"I'll keep it in mind." Hiccup mumbled as he picked at the last of his breakfast.

"There is more to it than just that, son." Stoick forked the last bit of his breakfast into his mouth. "Women are… complicated. It's important to treat them… delicately."

Hiccup choked on his coffee. He wanted to laugh just thinking about the idea of needing to treat Astrid delicately. Astrid of all people! But he kept his comment to himself and just buried his head in his hands again.

"Yeh see, Hiccup, women need to feel a real connection with yeh before they get physical. And when they are ready to get… physical…. Yeh need to take yer time to make sure they are ready."

Hiccup wished he could crawl under the table and die at this very moment. "Dad, please, you can stop now. We cover this kind of stuff in health class."

"Oh, alright then." Stoick fumbled with his napkin as he wiped the crumbs from his beard. "It's just that…. Well, Astrid seems like quite the catch, and I want it to go well for yeh."

As embarrassed as Hiccup was, he could tell that his dad was at least trying to relate and be helpful. Yes, it may be a totally inappropriate place and the subject might be uncomfortable, but he had to acknowledge that his heart was in the right place. "Thanks, dad." He finally managed.

"Alright then, yeh ready to get to work?"

Hiccup had never been more ready in his life to go wash cars at the dealership if it meant that this talk was over.

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It had been a weird week at school. Like, really weird. If it wasn't bad enough that he had been nominated for prom king, it was worse that there were actually signs around school promoting him. The crazier thing was that he hadn't made any of the posters, and Astrid had sworn up and down that she hadn't made any of the signs, either. He had tried to go to the office to see if he could have his name removed from the nomination list. He tried to explain to them his reasoning but they didn't actually listen to what he was saying, they just laughed and gave him a speech about how it's an honor to be nominated and to just "stick it out". They seemed to be missing the point and he was wasting his breath. He finally just decided to drop it and try not to think about it.

His lunch table was getting quite crowded. All of Astrid's friends, except for Eret of course, sat with him now. That wasn't as surprising as finding out that they had a lot in common. Tuffnut shared his love of comic books and even mentioned coming to Comic Con to see his booth. It had also come out that Snotlout was into video games, especially Halo. They ended up having a lot to talk about.

When they were sitting at lunch, Astrid always sat next to him. She always made sure they were close. She would give him a reassuring squeeze on his shoulder if she could feel him getting anxious. He had no idea how she knew, but somehow she always did. It was really beginning to feel like she was on his side. She was really becoming a huge support, and he was beginning to feel more confident.

Heather was still making him really uncomfortable, though. At lunch she mostly kept to herself, but during 2nd period she gave him weird looks and talked to him in confusing ways. One day in particular was extra confusing.

Heather had sat next to him as usual and they exchanged morning greetings.

"I heard you and Astrid had quite the date last Saturday." Heather smiled, leaning in towards Hiccup.

Her statement made him feel embarrassed, and maybe a little guilty for reasons he couldn't explain. "Uh, yeah… I guess we did." He answered with a shrug of his shoulder.

"How sweet." She smiled at him under her dark eyelashes. "So is it serious?"

How was Hiccup supposed to answer that? He and Astrid hadn't really talked about… _them_. Were they dating? Were they a couple? Was she his- gulp- girlfriend? He really didn't know, and if he was really honest with himself, he didn't really want to know the answer. He was fine just riding out whatever weird wave they were on together. In the end he simply shrugged.

"Well, if I were Astrid…" She paused long enough to give him a playful smirk, "I would make sure you were my boyfriend, and I'd make sure everyone knows it."

Hiccup looked back down at his notebook and continued with the doodle he'd been making in the margins.

"Do you think she isn't asking you to be her boyfriend because she secretly hopes Eret will take her back?" Heather lowered her voice and looked around as she spoke, reaching her hand out to his shoulder as though she was trying to comfort him. "Do you think she's just using you to get back at him? Or maybe she just wants to keep her options open?"

Hiccup looked up at Heather hard, taking a moment to stare back at her. It was obvious that even if she thought she knew Astrid, she didn't know anything. Seeing the hatred in Astrid's eyes when they ran into Eret, and hearing her story, he knew better. It made him wonder just how close Heather and Astrid could be, and deepened his mistrust of her. What could she possibly gain from this conversation?

Hiccup merely shook his head. "Look, I don't pretend to know Astrid's motivation for… well, anything, much less what she is doing with me. But I enjoy her company, and I guess she enjoys mine. And that is just fine, I think." He didn't really know where this surge of confidence came from, it was almost like he could subconsciously feel Astrid's hand on his shoulder. He took a deep breath and broke eye contact with Heather to go back to drawing.

Heather had recoiled a little bit and had a crestfallen look at her face, but the teacher started class and the subject was dropped. Hiccup wondered if he should talk to Astrid about Heather. Maybe she could shed some light into what Heather was up to. The only thing holding him back was that he didn't want to cause any unnecessary drama. Besides, it would be her word against his, and Hiccup didn't really feel like he had enough pull to come out of that situation smelling like roses, so he decided to just forget it.

Fishlegs was starting to take notice too.

They were leaving school on Wednesday when Eric along with his group of basketball friends walked by. Eric greeted Hiccup fondly and the two shared a few words before parting ways.

"Wow, Hiccup." Fishlegs looked at the group as they walked away before turning back to him. "It's amazing how becoming friends with one person can change your entire reputation."

Hiccup shook his head. "It's definitely crazy." He ran his fingers through his hair and winced.

The two walked silently out of the school. Hiccup could sense something was on Fishlegs' mind but he couldn't quite place what it might be. They were nearing the door when Fishlegs finally looked at him somewhat nervously.

"Hey Hiccup?"

"What's up, Fish?"

"I- uh, I mean, we'll always be friends, right?" Fish tugged self-consciously at his backpack as he walked.

Hiccup turned to Fishlegs, stopping him. "What do you mean?"

"I, well, it's just that… you suddenly have all these new friends…." Fishlegs looked down to the ground at his feet.

"…and you are worried you'll be replaced?" Hiccup finished for him, blown away that Fishlegs could even think such a thing. Fishlegs gave a small nod while still looking down. "Buddy, you've been my friend for a long time. Nothing will change that."

When Fishlegs looked up at him uncertainly, Hiccup only laughed. "This was your idea, remember? You pushed me to go along with all this craziness."

Fishlegs laughed. "Yeah, I guess you are right."

"Now, I don't want you to worry about this, ok? We'll always be best friends." Hiccup smiled and pushed against his friend playfully. "Besides, you can't get rid of me that easily."


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I'm sorry this took so long to update. :/ Between experiencing some writers block, life distractions, and being down last weekend with a Migraine that wouldn't go away, I wasn't able to finish this as soon as I'd planned. To make up for it, its kind of a long chapter. I've been kind of doubting myself lately as a writer, so let me know what you think. I felt like the end of this chapter may have been a little rushed. Thanks for all the continued support, and you can follow me on tumblr (kchaos85-dragon-lady) if you want updates on my progress or sneak previews. I'll try to stay on a weekly schedule when I can. There are really only 6 chapters left in my outline. Oh yeah, and this is a pretty fluffy chapter- hope you like it! **

Astrid was really beginning to like Thursday nights.

She sat curled up on the couch next to Hiccup, boots lying next to her on the floor. Her back against the arm of the couch and her legs draped casually in Hiccup's lap. If he minded, he didn't say anything. She was comfortable, but not just physically speaking. They had spent the last week texting each other at all waking hours of the day, and sometimes the not-so-waking hours of the night. During school they exchanged stolen glances whenever they got a chance. She was really enjoying sitting with him at lunch and watching him get along with her friends. Plus every day she inched her chair a little closer to his and was enjoying the level of comfort they were developing with each other.

Astrid was falling hard. She never remembered feeling this way about anyone else she'd dated, and she definitely never felt like this with Eret. She loved their banter. She loved the push and pull that seemed to come naturally to them. She loved how he texted her when bad TV was on and how they would make fun of the premises of horrible reality tv shows. Who would have guessed that this guy who she thought was such a dork would turn out to be exactly what she needed? Just like game night. She didn't realize how much she needed a night of relaxing in her life when every other hour was scheduled and planned out.

Tonight the three of them had decided to play something a little more lighthearted, so Fishlegs had put in Mario Kart on the Wii. Astrid chose Peach, Hiccup chose Toad, and Fishlegs chose Yoshi. Fishlegs set it up to choose random tracks for their races. They had been enjoying the game and Astrid was finally starting to get a hang of the controls. That is, until the game randomly picked Rainbow Road for their next race. The three groaned in unison.

"Well, I'm out. I might as well just give up now!" Fishlegs laughed, but didn't break his attention from the TV screen.

Hiccup's jaw tensed as he stared straight ahead. "Shhhh! No talking! You'll break my concentration!"

Astrid chose that moment to wiggle her toes in his lap.

"_Shii_… Ok, that's no fair either!" Hiccup playfully swatted at Astrid's foot.

"Oh, I'm sorry… do you want me to remove my feet from your lap?" Astrid smiled as sweetly as possible and batted her eyelashes exaggeratedly.

Hiccup patted her leg. "Nah, just don't… do _that_!" His voice squeaked as she wiggled her toes again in his lap.

"What? This? Why not Hiccup?" Astrid giggled but stopped when she saw Fishlegs looking at them somewhat wearily.

"You guys ready?" He asked, poised with his controller.

The two nodded, clearing their throats and turning their attention back to the game. As suspected, the three of them did miserably. Astrid's strategy was basically to hope for a bullet power up anytime she could get it, but it kept dropping her off at awkward spots, making her fall off the track.

In the end, Hiccup actually did the best of the three of them, Astrid the worst.

"Let's make a rule, no more rainbow road!" Astrid groaned as she sat her controller down on the table, taking a moment to stretch her arms over her head lazily, sighing contentedly. When she looked back down at Hiccup, his eyes were glancing over her body, and his face reddened a little when their eyes caught. Her insides squeezed as she realized he'd been admiring her, and it caused her stomach to flutter. Her mind was definitely not on the game anymore.

Hiccup cleared his throat awkwardly. "Hey Fish, what do you think? Time for a break?"

Fishlegs put down his own controller and cracked his knuckles. "Yeah, I could eat."

Fishlegs got up and went upstairs to help his mom with the food preparations. They had decided on frozen pizza for tonight, but Mrs. Ingerman insisted on also throwing on some garlic bread and making some hot wings as well. Astrid was convinced that she just wanted to do something to keep busy in the kitchen so she could stay close by. She had started to look at Astrid a little suspiciously, like she expected monkey business to be afoot between Hiccup and herself, and she didn't want to be the one responsible for their shenanigans.

As soon as Fishlegs was up the stairs and out of sight, Astrid began to wiggle her toes again.

"Hey!" Hiccup laughed as he grabbed her foot. "If you keep that up then I won't let you keep your feet on my lap anymore!" He grabbed at her socked foot and began to gently tickle the bottom of her toes.

She jerked them back instinctively, "Hiccup! Ok… ok! Truce?"

She held out her hand and he smirked playfully at her as he took it. As soon as their hands clasped she pulled him towards her, causing him to fall partially on top of her.

"Uh… Astrid?" Hiccup tried to balance on his hands awkwardly to keep his weight off of her.

Astrid laughed before reaching up to run her hands through his hair, fingers raking against his scalp. Hiccup leaned his head into her palm, closing his eyes.

When he opened them he looked down at Astrid. "Astrid, what're we doing here, exactly?"

Astrid laughed. "Game night at Fishlegs's house… at least that's what I'm doing here."

Hiccup let out a chuckle despite himself. "No, Astrid. You know what I mean. What is… _this_?"

Astrid laughed before pulling him down to bring his face to hers, pressing her lips into his for a quick kiss. "Do I really need to explain it to you?" The truth was she hadn't kissed Hiccup since Saturday night, and she wanted to do nothing else ever since. It was nice to have a moment alone when she could take her chance.

Hiccup relaxed at the kiss, his hands curling into her waist before bending down for another. Astrid felt her heart flutter at the closeness of his body and the tender way he kissed her back.

When Hiccup managed to pull away, he laughed again. "No, I mean… are we dating? Are you my girlfriend? Are we just friends that kiss sometimes..." His voice trailed, and even though he was trying to laugh it off, she could hear a real hesitation and anxiousness in his voice.

She pulled him in to hug him. "I don't know." She answered honestly. All she really knew was that she could stay on this couch forever holding Hiccup in her arms. She could feel the motion of his chest as he breathed, and his skin was soft against hers. Up close his freckles were even more endearing and she had to fight the urge to cover each one in kisses. She was thinking about how long that would take, her mind wandering to where else on his body he might have freckles, whenever his voice broke her out of her daydream.

"I mean, people are starting to ask questions and I don't know how to answer them…"

Astrid sighed. "Seriously, after all this you still won't accept that I like you, will you?" Hiccup pulled back to look down into her eyes. "It's really pretty simple. I like you, Hiccup. Do you like me?"

She saw Hiccup's gaze lower to her lips at the question and she licked them instinctively, tucking her lower lip into her teeth. When he didn't answer immediately and his green eyes just continued to stare into hers, she felt a grip of panic as she realized maybe he didn't share her feelings. As the silence rang through her ears, for a split second she wondered if she had misunderstood the heat she felt between them. Maybe it wasn't mutual. Her heart began to pound. It felt like forever that his eyes bore into hers when in reality it was probably only a few seconds.

Finally, he leaned down and brushed his lips against hers, she inhaled deeply through her nose as their lips moved together for a glorious second, and he pulled back again. Finally, he spoke, his eyes looking down at her with admiration. "It's always been you, Astrid."

Astrid giggled and her fingers teased at the collar of his shirt before pulling him back down and kissing him again. "Good." She responded. "So it's settled. You are my boyfriend, ok? This isn't just friends who kiss sometimes, and it's not just dating… ok? We're together."

He initiated the kiss this time, but it was different. Instead of the chaste pecks they were growing used to, she could feel a hunger in the kiss, it was more urgent, more needing. She could feel his hands gripping at her waist, his fingers working as if they had their own mind. She felt her stomach flip as she returned his kiss, her own hands tugging again at Hiccup's collar.

Astrid had forgotten where she was, nothing else seemed to matter except the feel of Hiccup's lips pressed against hers. Her mind wandering again to his freckles. She'd noticed he had freckles on his hands, which meant that they were probably _elsewhere. _She didn't know why the idea of that excited her so much, but she pressed her hands into his chest and found herself parting her lips to let a contented sigh escape.

"Ahem..." Fishlegs voice tore her abruptly back to the present. Hiccup jumped off of her and sat back on the couch and Astrid fought hard to catch her breathe. A moment After Fishlegs appeared at the end of the stairs, his mom was following soon after.

_That was close_…. Astrid thought, nervously running her hands through her hair. She could feel her face getting hot and peeked up at Hiccup enough to see his cheeks flushing red as well. He was looked down at his hands also trying desperately to catch his breath.

"Alright kids, I have some homemade hot wings to go with your pizza and garlic bread! I know how you growing boys can really work up an appetite down here." Mrs. Ingerman's cheerful chatter was completely ignorant to what had been happening in her basement mere seconds before she came down. Astrid would have to thank Fishlegs when she went back upstairs.

"Th-thanks, Mrs. Ingerman." Hiccup was finally able to stammer, grabbing a plate and a slice of pizza.

Astrid responded in same and also grabbed a plate and some pizza. Mrs. Ingerman stood for a moment in front of them as though she had something she wanted to say. After an awkward moment she simply said, "Alright, you kids have fun down here, but behave yourselves." Before retreating back up the stairs.

Once she was out of earshot, Astrid let out a sigh of relief. "Oh man, Fishlegs, thanks for the warning. That would have been embarrassing." She smiled at Fishlegs, but his face had turned a pretty dark shade of red.

Hiccup glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and shook his head slightly. Astrid wondered if they'd done something wrong. Was Fishlegs upset about finding them kissing in the basement?

After a long moment of chewing, Fishlegs finally managed to give her a tight smile. "No problem."

The rest of the evening felt a bit strained. They ended up calling it a night a little earlier than normal, so Hiccup asked if she wanted to go for a car ride. She gladly accepted.

As soon as they sat in Hiccup's car, they both started talking at the same time.

"What was wrong with Fishlegs?"

"Listen… about Fishlegs…"

They looked at each other and laughed nervously for a minute.

"I think Fishlegs is just uncomfortable because he's starting to feel like a 3rd wheel." Hiccup finally managed.

"Oh, that makes sense. I hadn't even really thought about that." Astrid felt bad because she genuinely liked Fishlegs.

Hiccup put the car in gear and started driving. "I have a confession to make." He said finally as they weaved in and out of the side streets killing time until Astrid needed to be home.

"What's that?" Astrid asked, trying to calm the nerves that had settled into the pit of her stomach now that they were alone.

"I'm kind of glad he came down when he did." Hiccup shrugged. "I… I don't want to take things too fast with you, Astrid. I don't want to make the same mistake Eret made."

Astrid laughed out loud, a little louder than she intended. She quickly covered her mouth and looked at him apologetically.

"Oh for the love of… what's so funny?" Hiccup looked like he was trying to be annoyed with her, but the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth seemed to indicate otherwise.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh at you." Astrid took a deep breath to try to kill the giggles she felt in her throat. "It's just… you don't ever have to worry about making Eret's mistakes."

"Why not? I'm a guy. I know guys can be a little forward. I just don't want you to think that I only want you for… _that_." She saw him swallow hard and just the mention of… _that_… caused Astrid's heart to skip a beat.

Astrid frowned. "Listen, Hiccup, I know it's probably difficult, but you can't compare yourself to Eret, ok?"

Hiccup let out an audible sigh. "Yeah, I know, I'll never measure up so I might as well forget even trying, right?"

"Hiccup!" Astrid exclaimed, surprised by his admission. "Hiccup, seriously, it's not that at all! It's the opposite in fact."

"The opposite?" Hiccup's eyebrows raised in disbelief. "What do you mean, the opposite?"

"What you and I have is so different than how things were between Eret and me." How could Astrid explain this in a way that he wouldn't worry about it anymore? She struggled to find the words. She felt like they were right there, but she just couldn't grab them. She pursed her lips in irritation at herself.

Hiccup had parked in front of her house and sat back in the driver seat. "Yeah, I'm sure it's a lot different. I'm sure it was easier with Eret since he was already friends with all your friends and wasn't into nerdy things."

She was losing him to his lack of self-confidence again. She wanted to scream at him that he was wonderful just the way he was, she wanted to shake him until he understood. Finally she just blurted out, "You are better than Eret."

Hiccup looked at her with wide eyes.

"Listen, you don't have to believe me I guess, we've only been hanging out for a few weeks, but I am telling you the truth when I say that what I feel when I'm with you is so much better, so much more meaningful. You don't have to worry about pushing me too hard, because I know if I told you things were going too fast, you'd stop no questions. So, please just don't worry about making the same mistakes Eret did, ok?" She sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Fair enough." Hiccup said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He nodded towards her house and shrugged his shoulders. "I know it's early yet but I didn't know where else to drive."

Astrid wrapped her arms around herself and hugged tightly. "We're ok, though, right?" She hated how insecure she felt right now when all she wanted Hiccup to do was grab her and kiss her with the same passion he had earlier.

"What do you mean, are we ok?" the corners of Hiccup's lips tugged into a smile. "Astrid Hofferson is my _girlfriend_. How could that NOT be ok?"

Astrid let out a deep breath. That was definitely more like it. She laughed and instinctively gave his shoulder a swat. "You nerd." She laughed.

Hiccup grinned at her. "I am a nerd, is that a bad thing?"

"No, because you are my nerd." Astrid smiled at Hiccup, stalling the inevitable moment she would have to get out of the car.

"Listen, let me take you out tomorrow night on a proper date. Just you and me." Hiccup looked at her with his wide green eyes which seemed to be sparkling in the moonlight.

"I thought you'd never ask."

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It was a good thing Hiccup could be persuasive. He was able to smooth things over with Fishlegs pretty easily, but he knew his friend wasn't happy.

"Listen, I'm happy for you, getting your dream girl and all, but I'm a little uncomfortable with you turning my basement into some kind of brothel," Fishlegs told him when they were talking before school the next day.

"I know, and I'm sorry. I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable." Hiccup shook his head. "It was just, a heat of the moment thing. It won't happen again."

"I mean, I don't want to be _that _guy, but my mom would be pretty upset if she came down the stairs and saw, _that."_

Hiccup laughed. "Fish, you make it sound as though we were fucking on your couch! We only kissed a few times."

"Are you _kidding_, Hiccup?" Fishlegs shook his head. "I don't know what your definition of 'only kissing' is, but what I saw looked like way more than that."

"Ok…ok, can we drop it now?" Hiccup sighed in exasperation. Fishlegs finally agreed, accepting Hiccup's apology.

The rest of the day seemed to snail by slowly. Hiccup was looking forward to taking Astrid on a date where it would be just the two of them. No Fishlegs, none of her friends who were ever present around her at school, just the two of them.

He didn't really have anything spectacular planned. He didn't want to do something so cliché as to take her out to dinner and a movie. Plus, they would still be surrounded by other people then. No, he was happy with his plan, even if it was simple, and hoped she would be, too. The weather was perfect. It was close to May and the temperature had warmed to the point where he didn't need a hoodie, and it had been dry for the last week as well. It was like everything had come together for this moment.

Hiccup couldn't get the taste of Astrid's lips off of his mind. During class his mind kept wandering back to the night before on Fishlegs couch. The sound of the breath she took as he kissed her stirred something deep and carnal within him. It kept replaying in his mind, and he had to do everything he could to distract himself so he didn't get too excited. The idea of being that intimate with someone was exciting and terrifying at the same time. He wanted to trust her, but he had been burned so many times before that he was still struggling to accept the fact that she actually liked him.

His mind at one point flickered back to that night at Snotlout's party when he found Eret trying to take advantage of Astrid. He had forgotten a lot of details from the rest of that night, but for some reason that scene could play in his mind with crystal clarity. It made his stomach lurch at the thought, and he vowed to take it slow with Astrid so she never had to worry about being afraid of him… not that she would be afraid of Hiccup, but either way he decided to follow her lead and take it slow.

He stood in front of the mirror smoothing down his hair one last time and taking a once over of his leather jacket and fitted jeans. He knew she liked him in the outfit she picked out for him. He had a picnic dinner packed and had pulled out his telescope. Sure, maybe taking her star gazing was a little cheesy, but at least that way they could be alone. He loaded the supplies in his car and was at her house within minutes.

This time when he rang the doorbell, instead of being greeted by Astrid's father, Astrid had flown out the door to greet him and drag him quickly down the porch stairs to his car. Her parents came to the door to see them off. Bo was yelling "Hey, where are you going?" while Cindy was exclaiming, "Have fun!" Astrid waved them both off and jumped in the car before Hiccup even knew what had happened.

He shrugged at Astrid's parents with a smile and hopped in the driver's seat.

"What was all that about?" He asked.

"Oh, I just didn't feel like answering a whole bunch of questions." Astrid smiled. "Besides, I'm just really excited to be alone with you. So what's the plan?"

Hiccup shrugged. "You might think it's dumb, so I'm not going to tell you until we get there."

Astrid laughed. "Oh, so you are trying to surprise me, huh Haddock?"

"Maybe."

"Fair enough." Astrid crossed her arms and relaxed back in the passenger seat. "How far is the drive?"

"Not too bad, about 20 minutes or so."

Hiccup put the car in gear and in no time they were on their way. They had only been driving a few minutes when Hiccup became painfully aware of the lack of music in the car.

"Hey, Astrid, if you want, you can plug in my MP3 player and choose some music," He suggested, pointing to his ipod sitting in the cup holder.

Astrid picked up the ipod and began to lazily look through his playlist when one in particular caught her eye. She looked at Hiccup out of the corner of her eye and selected the list. Plain White T's came over the stereo with one of their more popular songs, "1,2,3".

"So, uh, Hiccup…" She began as the intro to the song gave way to the first verse. "You have a playlist named "Astrid?"

Hiccup could feel the heat of embarrassment crawling up his neck and he fought to clear his throat. He gave her a nervous laugh, "Uh, yeah, I forgot about that…"

Astrid laughed and put her hand on Hiccup's lap. "Relax, I think it's sweet." She set the ipod down so it could shuffle through the songs Hiccup had placed on the list. It was mostly sappy love songs, but by some of Hiccup's favorite bands, so even though the idea was kind of cliché, it definitely possessed some of Hiccup's unique flare. The next song to play was Weezer's "want you to" and it was followed by "Hands Down" by Dashboard confessional.

Hiccup pulled nervously up to his destination and put the car in park. "We're here."

Astrid opened her eyes, not realizing they had been closed and looked around. They seemed to be at some kind of rustic cabin surrounded by woods. "Hiccup, where are we?"

"This is just a little piece of land that my dad owns. He uses it for hunting mostly. We come here in the summers a lot, you know, camping and stuff. My dad's idea of father-son bonding."

The cabin wasn't much, just a rustic little wood building that only had basic electric and plumbing. There was a decent wrap around porch though with a nice little picnic table on the front. Hiccup pulled out his supplies which included a cloth table cover and a cooler with the food he'd packed.

They sat together and Hiccup pulled open the cooler. "I know it's kind of cheesy, but I packed us a little picnic lunch." He pulled out some deli sandwiches along with some carrots and apples. Astrid pulled out a bottle of water and grabbed an apple.

"What kind of sandwiches?" Astrid asked when she picked one up.

"I wasn't sure what you would like, I have a turkey and swiss and a ham and cheddar." He shrugged. "I'll eat either one."

Astrid grabbed the Turkey and Swiss, leaving Hiccup with the ham and cheddar. They ate their dinner while talking and laughing about school that day. Astrid had asked him about the cabin and Hiccup had told a few of his funnier 'Hiccup and Stoick trying to see eye to eye' stories, which had her giggling at the ludicrous tales that basically summed up his relationship with his dad. It was kind of nice having someone to talk to about it that didn't immediately chime in with, 'at least your dad is trying'.

As the sun began to set and it got darker, Hiccup smiled as he cleaned up the trash and shoved it back in the cooler. "I have one more trick up my sleeve."

"Oh yeah? I hope it doesn't involve murder in the woods, this place is getting creepy now that it's getting dark." Astrid joked while stretching her legs out in front of her.

Hiccup laughed. "I hadn't really thought about that, but you are right. No worries, we aren't hanging out in the cabin or anything."

Hiccup put away the picnic supplies and pulled out the telescope, taking a few minutes to set it up in the middle of the field. Astrid grabbed the blanket she'd noticed in the backseat of Hiccup's car and came out to join him while he worked.

"Star gazing, huh?" She nudged her shoulder to his playfully as she laid out the blanket.

"Yeah, I know, lame, right?" Hiccup smiled at her, "but I promise, the stars out here shine a little brighter than in the city."

Once he had the telescope adjusted where he wanted it, he motioned for Astrid to take a look. He had it pointed at the moon to start, and through the telescope it was actually very detailed. While Astrid looked through the eyepiece, Hiccup stood behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders, kneading her muscles gently as though subconsciously just needing to do something with his hands.

He spent some time finding the planets that were visible in the spring sky and showing them to her. If she was bored or uninterested, she at least didn't show it. Finally the two laid down on the blanket, Hiccup resting on his arms behind his head.

"So, do you know any of the constellations?" He asked Astrid as he began to feel relaxed laying in the field.

Astrid was quiet for a moment before pointing towards the south. "Well, there is Orion's Belt!"

Hiccup chuckled. "Yep, there it is. It's one of the most recognizable constellations in the sky. The story behind it in a nutshell is that Orion was a great warrior, but was really boastful and conceited. Then, in an ironic twist of fate, he was killed by a scorpion sting."

"Sounds like someone I know." Astrid stated dryly. "If only there were scorpions in Minnesota."

Hiccup laughed. "Any others you recognize?"

Astrid looked around a moment before her attention focused to the east. "Oh, there is the big dipper!"

Hiccup pointed and said "Ursa Major. And if you look to the north there, you can see Ursa Minor."

"The big and little dipper." Astrid repeated to herself, as though taking it into memory.

"Do you know the story of Ursa Major and Minor?" when Astrid shook her head, and moved to snuggle in a little closer to him, he continued. "Well, if you look at the bigger picture, it's not just the dipper, it's supposed to be a bear. If you look at the big dipper, that's really just the tail and the cup part is the back end of the body," Hiccup pointed out the rest of the stars that completed the constellation, "So anyway, the story goes that there was this… warrior, or a huntress, if you will. Her name was Callisto. She was kind of known to be a bad ass hunter. So because she was so bad ass, she caught the attention of Jupiter, who basically tricked her and raped her, and she ended up having his kid."

Hiccup paused a moment and Astrid nodded her head in understanding. "So basically, Juno, being jealous, turned Callisto into a bear. One day her son, Arcas, was out hunting and nearly killed his mother, not realizing it was her. Jupiter stopped him and then turned them both into bears and put them into the sky to keep them safe." Hiccup shook his head.

"You kind of remind me of Callisto, in a way." He blurted, looking thoughtfully at the constellation.

"Oh yeah? I'm going to be turned into a bear and made into stars?" Astrid teased, bumping his elbow with hers flirtatiously.

Hiccup laughed. "No, the bad ass part. If you were alive back in those days, you would definitely have been some kind of shield maiden or huntress. Maybe even some kind of kick ass pirate."

Astrid laughed. "Do I really come off that strongly?"

This made Hiccup snort. "Are you seriously asking me if you, Astrid Hofferson, comes off as a tough chick?"

Astrid playfully swatted at Hiccup, "Shield Maiden, wasn't that like, a Viking?" Astrid asked while still laughing at Hiccup's comment.

"Yeah, it can be." Hiccup's eyes twinkled with amusement. "I could definitely see you as a Viking. I bet you'd be really into it too. You'd be like, the most determined Viking in the village."

Astrid smiled, "Hey, I like the sound of that." She scooted closer to Hiccup, laying her head on his chest.

Hiccup coughed to clear his throat before pointing towards the North sky. "Next to the little dipper, you can kind of see a line of stars almost curving around it there, that one is my favorite. That's Draco. He's a dragon."

"You and your dragons." Astrid smiled while shaking her head. He was a dork, but he was _her_ dork.

"Well, there are a few different stories for how Draco ended up in the sky, but the one I like most is that he was killed by Hercules while he was defending the forbidden garden of Hesperides."

Astrid smiled. "How do you know so much about constellations?"

"Oh, you know, when you grow up without friends, you have a lot of time to yourself to learn stuff." As soon as he'd said it, he kind of wished he hadn't. He was definitely giving Astrid a "poor me" vibe, and that isn't exactly sexy or endearing. He needed to work on that.

He glanced over at Astrid and saw her leaning up on her elbows, looking at him with sorrow in her eyes. _Great, she felt sorry for him, that's just what he wants for a date: Pity. _

Instead of saying anything, she simply leaned over and planted a kiss on the tip of his nose. The sudden contact made Hiccup's heart squeeze, and his hand reached up to smooth through her hair and they looked into each other's eyes. Astrid leaned down and brushed her lips against his, a small but chaste kiss that left his lips tingling and aching for more. He tugged at her shoulders, practically pulling her on top of him, her palm stretching to steady herself on the other side of him.

She deepened the kiss, and Hiccup happily obliged, smoothing his hands over her shoulders and breathing deeply as Astrid slipped her tongue past his lips. She settled on the ground beside him, laying in the crook of his arm. Their bodies pulling in close together, he could feel the heat between them. It cackled and sparked as though trying to ignite a fire between their bones. He could feel her curves as they gently molded to his body, and he couldn't help but feel like it felt right. It felt like her body was meant to fit into his as he held her close, kissing her passionately as his head became foggy. All he could think of was how he was feeling. The pent up frustrations of the last three weeks exploding around them as they took advantage of being completely alone.

Astrid moaned, throwing her head back as she writhed in his arms, responded to the feel of Hiccup's hands sliding up her back. It exposed her slender neck to him, and out of instinct he dipped his head down to run his lips along the milky flesh, planting kisses along her collarbone. Her fingers raked through his hair, tugging lightly at the strands as her breath hitched along with his.

Hiccup began to have an out of body experience, seemed to float up above them and look down, panic beginning to grip at his chest as he realized that the situation was getting out of control. It was too fast, too much. He couldn't let himself get wrapped up in the throes of passion. The last thing he wanted to do was push Astrid too far too soon, and ruin everything right off the bat.

As if all at once, Hiccup's consciousness slammed painfully back inside him, and he squeezed his eyes shut as he gently pushed away from Astrid, immediately feeling the pain of their distance.

"Wait, stop!" Hiccup whispered, trying to catch his breath.

"What, what is it, what's wrong?" Astrid blinked her eyes open in surprise, trying desperately to calm her own thoughts so she could clear the fog of passion out of her own mind.

"Nothing is wrong… I just… it's too…" He couldn't bring himself to say the words, he just sat there gathering his breath, trying to hide the evidence of just how aroused he was.

"Too fast?" Astrid finally finished for him, taking her own deep breath of relief.

They both sat up and looked at each other for a moment, both trying to steady the beat of their hearts. Hiccup reached for Astrid's hand and she gave it to him willingly. He brought it to his lips and kissed it, before hugging her palm to his face.

"I just… I don't want to screw this up." Hiccup admitted, looking nervously into Astrid's eyes. "I always screw everything up, and I don't want that to happen with you."

Astrid smiled. "I understand." She shook her head. "Wow that was intense. We are going to have to be a little more careful."

Hiccup nodded in agreement. "I know you and Eret broke up because you weren't ready, so I don't want to push you…"

Astrid laughed and moved closer to Hiccup, curling herself up in his arms and resting her head on his chest. "You have nothing to worry about Hiccup. I'll tell you if you are pushing me."

Hiccup hoped she was right. The two got up and reluctantly began to pack up the supplies from their date so Hiccup could take her home. It was getting dangerously close to Astrid's curfew anyway.


	15. Chapter 15

_**A/N: So, I posted this on Tumblr, and said I wouldn't post on here until tomorrow, because I feel like I should probably proof read it one more time, but... I've already made my lovely readers wait so long... so here you go. Warnings- Mind the M rating- definitely some smutty times. Also a little twist at the end of the chapter. I only have 5 more chapters outlined! We are getting towards the end! **_**Oh, also, I know I've mentioned that I post previews on my Tumblr page: kchaos85-dragon-lady, but things have been getting a little.. crazy on my page lately, so... you might not want to go there unless you are ok with adult content (cough), and also me just being super random and pretty much unfiltered. (eh, oh well).**

Astrid had gone straight to her room after her date, practically running to get to a place she could think, shutting and locking the door behind her. She needed to be alone to process everything that had just happened. Her heart was still beating out of her chest and the flutters in her stomach had not yet stopped. She had never felt this way before.

It was so odd. She had made out with Eret before, so she wasn't a stranger to physical activity. Heck, she and Eret had pretty much done everything _but_. She tried hard to think back over her time with Eret, trying to grasp at memories to see if she'd ever felt even a little bit like she was feeling right now, or how she had been feeling with Hiccup, but the answer was an emphatic NO.

The way her body had responded to his every touch both excited and terrified her. She could see how things could quickly get out of hand between them, so she was glad that Hiccup had been able to stop them before it was too late. Was she ready to push the envelope? Surely not, especially since she was just beginning this new relationship with Hiccup, and it was still very new and very fragile. She was in big trouble. Especially since all she could think about right now was the feel of Hiccup's lips against the gentle slope of her neck, imagining his hands on her body.

Astrid snuggled tighter into her sheets, squeezing her thighs together tightly, feeling an ache throbbing between her legs. It was uncomfortable, and that ache felt… empty. Not that she hadn't been turned on before, but this was so much more intense. She couldn't ignore it like she normally did, especially when she could still taste Hiccup on her lips. Instinctively she touched them with her fingers, trying to suppress a grin from spreading across her face.

Ruff had talked about this before, feeling so turned on that she had to take matters into her own hands. Astrid had always rolled her eyes and figured her friend was just overly crude or perverted, but at this moment the ache between her thighs was really too much to ignore.

She bit her lip and slowly brought her hand down to her heat, giving the space an experimental rub through her underwear, feeling her wetness soaking through. The touch caused her to bite down harder on her lip than she meant to, and a small gasp escaped her throat. She pressed her fingers in further, stroking her creases before settling on the sensitive nub, rubbing circular motions through her underwear. More images of Hiccup popped into her head, pictures of Hiccup pressing his own fingers into her heat. Her thoughts shifted to Hiccup's hands, imagining his long artistic fingers. Astrid swallowed hard and tentatively slipped her hand under her underwear, feeling her heat directly, skin slippery and wanting.

She didn't know how long she'd been rubbing, she was lost in her fantasy, not only of what they'd already done, but imagining what they _could_ do. At first it was mostly just Hiccup touching her, or kissing her, but soon her thoughts were progressing beyond that, going someplace more primitive, more carnal. She began to wonder what the bulge beneath his pants looked like, which forced her mind to think about what it would_ feel_ like. She imagined it stroking her instead of her fingers. It was sensory overload. It was too much, yet it wasn't enough. The ache and feeling of emptiness inside her was intolerable. She pushed her fingers inside. She whispered his name as she did, the sensation causing her to shudder. She kept going, pushing herself closer and closer to the edge. As she was ready to shatter into a million pieces, the last image to cross her mind was his sweet face smiling at her, his usual crooked smile and soft eyes, and the way he glanced at her as though she was everything.

The mix of carnal and romantic feelings swirled in Astrid's head as she relaxed after her orgasm. She stretched out and ran her fingers through her hair and squeezed her eyes shut. She grabbed for her phone, but she wasn't sure what she wanted to say. Somehow saying, "Hey, Hiccup, I just got off thinking about you." Seemed a bit, assertive. No, that would definitely be too much. But she somehow wanted to share this moment with him, even if he didn't know why.

A: Hey.

She waited a few moments, eyes feeling heavy as her consciousness began trying to pull her to sleep. She'd almost given up when she heard her phone buzz beside her.

H: Hey, having trouble sleeping?

A: Something like that. I had fun tonight.

H: Me too

Astrid hugged her phone into her chest, unsure of what to say, but she didn't want to let their conversation slack for too long.

A: I was just thinking about you, that's all.

H: Thinking about me? That must be boring.

A: Nope, it wasn't boring.

H: OK? Now I'm interested in what you were thinking about.

Astrid giggled to herself. Should she give him the gory details or play it cool?

A: Let's just say… you are very good with your hands.

H: My hands?

She could almost see him looking down at his hands with a puzzled look on his face and it made her giggle.

A: yes, your hands.

H: This sounds interesting.

A: don't worry, it was

H: Was? Astrid… are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?

A: Maybe.

H:…

H: That's… hot.

Astrid bit her lip. Had she gone too far? Maybe. The two continued to text for several minutes before saying goodnight. She was feeling pretty excited about seeing him tomorrow night again for the party at the twins' lake house.

* * *

><p>Hiccup only whined a little about going. She'd told him about it at least a week ago but every time she brought it up he groaned. She'd reminded him that she had to go, since it was her best friend's party, and she didn't really think he wanted her alone at a party that Eret would be attending, did he? She knew the answer already and he'd merely shook his head with his lips pulled into a tight line.<p>

Now that they were on their way to the party, he at least seemed to be in better spirits. Astrid was driving since she knew the way, and Hiccup was content to once again play DJ in the car.

He had settled on listening to a Weezer playlist, and the first song to come on was "(If you're wondering if I want you to) I want you to." The music filled the car with a good vibe since it was a pretty upbeat song. The innuendo wasn't lost on her either.

"I really don't think you'll mind this party. It's just us, so it won't be nearly as bad as the last one." Astrid found herself saying to Hiccup to try to ease his nerves. She could already see the way he was averting his eyes and paying way too much attention to his hands, like he tended to do when he was nervous.

"Eret's going to be there, though." Hiccup shook his head. "I just don't want to end up doing anything stupid, that's all."

"It'll be fine. I think Eret will behave. It seems he and Ruff have been getting close, so hopefully I'm completely off his radar by now. Besides, Tuff said Snotlout was bringing his Xbox and some games, that'll be fun, right?"

Hiccup shrugged his shoulders noncommittally.

"Hey, I'm glad you came with me anyway." Astrid offered, trying desperately to at least acknowledge his feelings. "I know it's not exactly your thing."

"It's ok." Hiccup mumbled.

"For what it's worth, I'm really looking forward to hanging out with you again tonight. Last night was… great!" Astrid gave him a knowing smile, hoping he would catch the hint of mischief in her voice.

Hiccup grinned at her. "It was great, because we were alone!" He teased.

"Hey, we'll get some alone time tonight, don't worry." Astrid laughed. "I called dibs on one of the guest bedrooms for the night, one that only has one bed in it so we don't have to share with anyone."

She saw Hiccup visibly gulp, so she quickly clarified. "Not that we have to do anything but, you know, sleep. But we'll get to be alone."

Hiccup nodded in understanding, but the idea of being alone with Hiccup again was definitely stirring a desire in Astrid, one that she was only just beginning to understand and was pretty exclusive to this freckle faced, dorky-but-adorable boy sitting next to her.

They were there in no time. They pulled up to the lake house. It was a two story log cabin style house, warm wood exterior and large wrap around porch. The style was fairly contemporary with large windows to take advantage of the view of the lake. There was a beach around the back where there was already a decent bonfire going.

As they made their way to the group sitting in lawn chairs around the fire, Ruff and Heather made their way over to the couple.

"So, is this official now or what?" Ruffnut teased, even though she very well knew the answer.

Astrid just shook her head, annoyed. "Duh, thanks for making it awkward."

She bumped Hiccup's shoulder because she could already feel his discomfort. She slid her arm through his and leaned against him a little, which always seemed to make him feel a little more confident.

"Man, Astrid. I'm so jealous. You somehow manage to find this guy that always just blended into the background, and he turns out to be such a catch." Heather winked at Hiccup with a small smile on her lips, like she had some kind of secret. Something about the way she said it made something inside Astrid twist with paranoia.

"Yes, he _is _a catch." She said somewhat territorially, squeezing Hiccup in a little tighter.

Heather laughed good-naturedly. "Maybe one day I'll find my own Hiccup." She said with a twinkle in her eye while flipping her hair.

_What in the world is Heather getting at? _

Heather had always been a friend that Astrid couldn't get close to. She was in their group. In all reality, the boys got along with her more than she or Ruffnut did, but they tried to be friendly. There was just always something about her that Astrid never felt she could trust. She tried to look past it, maybe it was just in her own head, but when she made comments like this, it brought those feelings bubbling to the surface. She knew she must have been scowling at Heather because Ruff quickly jumped in to diffuse the situation.

"Hey! We have s'mores!" She gestured towards Tuffnut who was standing way too close to the bonfire holding a stick in each hand loaded down with marshmallows. "If you want some, you should probably roast your marshmallows before Tuff eats them all!"

Hearing his name, Tuff glanced towards the newcomers. "Yes! I have ALL the marshmallows!" He raised his hands in the air as they caught fire, and then ran in a circle around the bonfire with the flaming sticks.

Ruffnut smacked her forehead. "Hey genius, if you let those burn too long you won't be able to actually EAT them!"

Tuff stopped and cocked his head at his sister. "Oh, yeah!" he replied before blowing out the flames. He collapsed into a chair next to where Heather had decided to sit once the chaos started.

"Want a marshmallow? Well done?" Tuff thrust one of his sticks of blackened marshmallows in front of her face unceremoniously. Heather laughed a little bit in spite of herself before pushing it away.

"Ewww, gross! Don't!" She squealed.

"Alright! More for me!" Tuff bit into a marshmallows forcefully while grinning from ear to ear like an idiot.

Snotlout walked over to the picnic table that had been set just to the side of the bonfire and began putting together his s'more. "Hey, Ruff, do you want me to make you one while I'm at it?"

Ruff rolled her eyes. "Nah, I'm good." She looked back at Astrid and lowered her voice. "Eret should be here soon and then puppy dog eyes over here will stop following me around."

Astrid felt a pang of sympathy for Snotlout, even though it was kind of ironic how much he'd changed in the last year since Eret started going to their school. He used to be the over confident jock, but now he could seem a little pathetic, trying to hold onto his once alpha dog status.

It was no time at all before almost everyone in the gang had made themselves at least one s'more, Tuffnut still held the record for eating the most, though, and boasted about his ability to stuff five marshmallows in his mouth at the same time.

"I don't know if that is a skill you should be bragging about." Heather had teased, causing Tuff's face to turn an intense red when he realized the innuendo.

They were all sitting happily around the bonfire, chatting idly about school and prom, when Eret finally showed up. He had all the alcohol so everyone was glad to see him, everyone except Astrid and Hiccup. For the most part they just ignored each other, and soon the gang had moved into the house where Snotlout had set up his Xbox. All the boys began to play, and were shocked when Astrid joined them as well, but she did pretty good at holding her own since she'd been playing with Hiccup and Fishlegs.

So far the night had been devoid of any major catastrophes, thankfully. Everyone was drinking of course, but no one was getting out of hand, at least as long as you didn't consider Tuffnut streaking through the living room at one point out of hand. But really for this group, that was pretty tame. Seeing Tuffnut's junk had really become something of an initiation for the group, and a few people had slapped Hiccup on the shoulder and told him this meant he was in.

She wasn't sure if he liked that idea or not, but he at least laughed and made jokes with everyone. They weren't drinking as much as probably the rest of the gang, but the alcohol was beginning to make Astrid feel warm and fuzzy inside. She started to hang on Hiccup a little more than her friends had really seen before, even getting as daring as to bury her face in his neck, giving him little kisses against the warm skin of his clavicle.

If they minded, they didn't say anything, but she just couldn't help it. His neck was right there, all his freckles splattered down his neck beckoning to her.

When she began to grab at his shirt to pull her into him, he kissed her lightly on the cheek before whispering, "Your friends are starting to look at us funny."

Astrid giggled with half closed eyes as she sat curled into him on the couch. "So?"

Hiccup cleared his throat. "I just… uh… it's just that…"

"Just what?"

Hiccup grunted softly as she hooked her hand behind the collar of his shirt. "I don't know if I can continue to keep my hands off you, and all your friends are probably feeling awkward enough as it is with YOUR hands all over me."

Astrid tore her gaze away from Hiccup to see if her friends were even paying attention. At that moment Eret took a shot of whiskey before grabbing Ruffnut's arm.

"Come on, love. It's getting late, and it's a bit crowded in here." He tugged at her arm and she took one last shot of tequila before waving goodnight to everyone. Astrid couldn't help but notice Eret look right at her before they disappeared up the stairs. If her thoughts hadn't been a little fuzzy, she might have taken note, or thought to be offended, but right now all she could think about was the lanky boy sitting next to her and whether his freckles continued down his chest.

"You wanna get out of here, too?" Astrid practically mouthed against his neck, feeling giddy. When he nodded she stood up, and the blood rushed to her head a little too fast, causing her to stumble. Hiccup was up in an instant, catching her.

"I'm fine! Really!" She stammered as Hiccup helped her back to her feet. "I just stood up too fast, that's all!"

"Uh-huh, sure." Hiccup muttered as he let her lead him to the bedroom she'd called for the night.

All the bedrooms were upstairs, and thankfully theirs was at the other end of the hall from Ruff and Eret, so the couples would be less likely to bother each other. Astrid pulled Hiccup into the bedroom and closed the door behind them, pressing Hiccup against the door.

Hiccup swallowed hard, suppressing a light groan. "A-Astrid! How much did you have to drink?"

Astrid ran her hands down the front of his chest, leaning up to meet him for a kiss. "Not that much, just enough to feel relaxed." She stuck her nose into his shoulder and rubbed against him while his hands came around to curl at her waist, rubbing circles into her skin. The pads of his fingers were leaving little trails of heat as they worked, and Astrid found herself slipping her hands under Hiccup's shirt desperate to feel his bare skin as well. She tilted her head up and Hiccup leaned down to brush his lips lightly against hers, leaving her wanting for more.

Astrid tilted her head and the kiss deepened. She took a deep breath which caused her lips to part slightly, leaving an opening for Hiccup, who slipped in his tongue carefully, running it along the inside of her mouth. She reciprocated and soon the two were lost in a mess of each other's tongues, hands beginning to wander as their bodies responded to the heat between them.

Astrid began to pull Hiccup to the bed and he happily followed her. As soon as she sat down on the edge, he collapsed to his knees in front of her, causing her to have to lean down to continue their kiss. He ran his hands up her thighs, up her hips, then up her back, pulling her into him. She playfully pulled him up to his feet and into the bed with her. They both fell against the mattress with a giggle, before embracing each other again.

Getting lost in their heat, Hiccup traced her neck with his fingers, tenderly pushing her hair off of her shoulder, leaving it exposed to his view. On instinct he leaned in and left a trail of kisses from her jaw to her collarbone, giving the hard ridge a little nip as he continued to kiss. Astrid let a moan escape her lips, and felt herself arching her back into him, hips grinding into his as he continued to kiss and suck at the tender spot on her neck. She ran her hands through his hair, tugging only slightly on the ends as he brought his head back up to find her lips again.

Astrid was on fire. She ached between her thighs, just like she had the night before. The emptiness was overwhelming. Her body was betraying her in ways she never knew possible. Hiccup's every touch was igniting a fire within her in breathy waves. She found herself craving more, but more felt like it would never be enough. She continued to grind into him with her hips, beginning to feel the bulge through his pants pressing hard against her.

He was still holding back, and it was driving her mad. As they continued to make out, she grabbed his hands and placed them where she wanted them on her body. She started with her breast, bringing his palm to cup her breast just right before giving his hand a squeeze to show him what she wanted. Just like she thought, Hiccup was good with his hands, and he groaned somewhere deep in his chest when he squeezed her.

"Oh gods, Astrid!" He growled, beginning to thrust his hips back into hers, his voice deepening with need. "A-Astrid, you have n-no idea…" Hiccup grunted again between words as their hips rolled together again, the restriction of clothes between them becoming too much, "…no idea how long I've wanted to be with you."

His admission sent flutters through her body. She pulled him in closer before lowering her head to cover his neck in kisses, relishing in the salt of his skin against her lips, giving him little nibbles along his clavicle. The grunt that rumbled through his chest was enough to send a rush of adrenaline through her body, slamming into her sex deliciously at the thought that she caused him to make that noise. She flipped Hiccup onto his back and swung her leg over his lap, bending down to continue her kisses, her hands tugging at the hem of his shirt.

She loved the feel of his bulge against her heat, loved how she could grind into it. She was beginning to understand what all the fuss about sex was about. Before it had seemed like this daunting, impersonal, invading thing she'd have to do someday, but now she could see why some people wanted this so badly. She hissed as she imagined him inside her, filling and stretching her. She sat up for a moment to enjoy the way Hiccup's hips were thrusting to meet hers, his hands smoothing up her stomach. She grabbed teasingly at her shirt and slid it over her head, revealing her pink lacy bra. Hiccup sat up with her still on his lap and began to kiss at her now bare shoulders, his fingers sliding with want under her bra strap. His other hand moved to her breast, and his thumb pressed against her nipple, and he began to circle the area while he nipped at her skin.

Astrid was lost. Her head was spinning and foggy, and she wasn't sure if it as from the alcohol or if she was drunk off of Hiccup's touch. She wanted more. She tugged his shirt over his head and he happily helped her. Their eyes met as his shirt was discarded and for a moment she just stared into Hiccup's green eyes, admiring the wonder with which he was looking at her. The tender moment cleared the urgency that was making her brain fuzzy, so when Hiccup leaned forward to kiss her again, it was more tender and romantic.

"Hiccup." Astrid gasped as he pressed his hand into her back so that the skin of their torsos melted into each other. "Oh god, Hiccup. You have no idea…" she caught her breath in her throat, unable to finish her sentence.

She wrapped her arms around him and they hugged each other tight, blood still thrumming through their veins with excitement. He was pulling Astrid back in for another tender kiss when they heard it.

"SON OF A BITCH!"

Astrid and Hiccup both snapped to attention and looked around confused. Astrid felt as though some large rug had been pulled right out from under her, and it raked against her nerves to feel the reality of their surroundings interrupting them. The noise had come from the hallway. They grabbed their shirts and ran to the door, opening it and peaking hesitantly outside.

By the time they had opened the door all the way, the rest of the gang had made their way to the hallway as well.

It was quite a sight to see. Eret was laying on the floor, holding his bleeding nose.

"You son of a bitch! You broke my nose you bloody bastard!"

Snotlout was standing over Eret, fuming. "Yeah, well, you're lucky that's all you got!"

Astrid had to shake her head and blink several times to clear her head and figure out what was going on in front of her.

Ruffnut was standing behind Snotlout, and Tuff had grabbed her by the waist. She was squirming and trying to escape her brother's hold.

"Let me at him!" She was screaming, "I can't believe you! I can't BELIEVE you were just USING me!"

Eret stood up slowly, still nursing his bleeding nose. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, but did you ever really think I would actually be interested in you?" Eret laughed.

Snotlout took a menacing step forward. "I think you should go."

Eret started to laugh but Snotlout took another step forward, clenching his hands into fists and bringing them up menacingly. "You heard me, Eret, Get the FUCK out of here!"

Eret looked like he was going to protest but Tuff added in, "If I were you I would listen, or I could let Ruffnut go, and she'll leave more things broken than just your nose!"

Astrid tried to focus on everything going on, her mind trying desperately to catch up. Eret backed away from the gang slowly.

"Alright, fine. I'll leave." He slowly turned to walk down the stairs, but cast one last look at the group. "You'll all regret this."

Everyone looked back and forth to one another as he made his way down the stairs and out the door. For a moment the group stood in complete silence.

Tuff finally let go of Ruff and she stumbled forward and ran to Astrid. Astrid grabbed her friend tight.

"What in God's name just happened?" Astrid asked, stroking her friend's hair.

Ruff pulled back and clenched her teeth. "I should have listened to you, that's all. Eret is just a dumb boy after all."

Snotlout began to rub his fist and Ruff turned and began to walk towards him. "If it weren't for you, I don't know what would have happened."

Snotlout shrugged it off. "Anyone would have done it."

"Yeah, well…. You aren't just anyone, Snotlout." Ruff smiled as she grabbed his bloody knuckles. "Come with me, I'll wrap that for you."

The two disappeared into the bathroom.

"Can somebody catch me up, please?" Astrid demanded, looking at Tuff and Heather as they stood dumbfounded in the hallway.

"That guy should just be glad Snot got to him first." Tuffnut sneered, balling his own hands into fists.

"Apparently, Ruffnut changed her mind at the last second." Heather offered, meeting Astrid's gaze. "And when she told him, he basically confessed he was just using her to get back at you."

Astrid's insides squeezed. She had tried to warn Ruffnut that this was a possibility, but that didn't make it any easier. Her heart ached for Ruff. She turned to Hiccup and curled into his arms, trying desperately not to let anyone see the tears welling in her eyes. "She doesn't deserve that. No one does."

Hiccup squeezed her back and rested his chin on her head. Tuff and Heather exchanged glances.

"Well, another banging party at the Thorston lake house!" Heather teased, trying to lighten the mood. The group chatted quietly for a few moments before everyone decided it was time to go to bed.

Snotlout and Ruffnut hadn't emerged from the bathroom yet, and there wasn't a lot of noise coming from the bathroom.

Astrid smiled a little to herself. She wondered if it took Snotlout breaking his knuckles on Eret's nose in her honor to finally show Ruff what had been in front of her face this entire time. She didn't dare say anything though, because Ruff would deny it.

Hiccup and Astrid made their way back into the bedroom and snuggled up together in the bed. Their moment of passion had passed, but Astrid was content just to feel his arms around her. The scene outside had reminded her just what Eret had been capable of, and the kind of relationship that they'd had. It made her even more grateful for Hiccup. He was exactly what she never knew she needed.

"Hiccup?" She asked right before drifting to sleep.

"Hmmm?"

"Thanks for being… you."

She fell asleep with a smile on her face, feeling safe and loved inside Hiccup's arms.


End file.
